The Housekeeper (A Nalu AU)
by Nightside14
Summary: When Erza can no longer stand the mess that Natsu calls an apartment she takes matters into her own hands and hires a young, blonde beauty to clean up his place and maybe...fill a void in his life. (Another collab with Arisa from tumblr. Art is hers)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Aye! This is Arisa speaking o-o/ , now now don't get scared, I didn't hacked to nightside's acc our anything dw dw =3= I'm just here to let u kno' that this fic is also a collab. The story itself I finished** **planning, he just have to write it now /ik ik im such a slave-worker lol/ but I just love how he fills in the gaps in my planning so ye, I'mma keep him for a while *ahem* Anywayz please enjoy this short cute nalu fic =3=/ n feel free to review anytime u desire ~**

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"Ahhh damn it!" Natsu huffed looking at the pile of paperwork before him that he needed to complete. "Why the hell did I take this position again?" He slumped back in his office chair, annoyed, and crossed his over his chest. He blew out a puff of air as he glared at his desk.

Natsu Dragneel was the the director of the Fairy Tail company at the ripe old age of 27. Old, not old at all, in fact he was too young to be running a massive corporation at his age. He should still be out partying and enjoying life. Okay he probably was getting past the heavy partying age but he was pretty sure not many people were running large companies at 27. It was all Gildarts and Laxus' fault. After the owner, Makarov, retired he wanted Gildarts to run the company but that old geezer just took off saying he didn't wanna run the company. Laxus, still being in his rebellion stage was furious at the fact that Makarov had skipped over him when naming the new director of the company. He had taken the decision personally and in the wrong way making him almost destroy the company. Natsu grimaced thinking back to the fights they had. However, Natsu took what Laxus did to Fairy Tail as a challenge and so ended up taking over as director just in time to be able to save the company from its demise. Despite what he had done, Natsu made it clear that if Laxus ever returned he would welcome him back with open arms. He said that Laxus wasn't serious about what he did.

Natsu quickly straightened up in his chair as the door to his office opened. He looked at the redhead who walked in, his secretary, Erza. Originally she had been next in line after Gildarts to take over but due to the combination of the 'war' with Laxus and her being pregnant at the time, she passed on the position. It was just too much stress for her to deal with and her husband Jellal had agreed. That had all been two years ago now and everything had pretty much stabilized and gone back to normal for Fairy Tail. Natsu began to look busy as she approached his desk and slammed some paperwork down in front of him making him jump a little.

"Hey Erza, I'm working I'm working. Don't worry I'm not slacking off or anything like that." Natsu said defensively as he looked at her and smiled nervously. Erza closed her eyes for a moment and sighed.

"It's not about work it's about your apartment Dragneel." she said impatiently as she looked at him once again.

Being that his co-workers were more like family than just co-workers, it was more than once that some of them had come over to his apartment to hang out. This lead to some of his friends crashing at his place for the night and vice-versa, and on more than one occasion, especially when they went out drinking. Thus Erza knew all too well the condition of the young man's apartment and she got tired of seeing the living hell he called home. It wasn't a healthy way of living for the young man, especially since he hardly had food in the house, making him always eat take out since he didn't cook. Don't even get her started on the poor cat that Natsu owned, at least he had the decency to take care of the little guy and buy him proper cat food.

Natsu looked down at the paperwork Erza slammed on his desk to find that it wasn't actually company paperwork. Upon closer inspection he saw that the papers were actually a list of names. He tilted his head in confusion and looked more thoroughly at the papers and that's when he realized that this was a list of housekeepers. He frowned as he flipped through the pages.

"Your place is a disaster Natsu. It looks like an animal-"

"Dragon." he corrected absent mindedly.

"-lives there." Erza said crossing her arms under her bust glaring down at him and sending a shiver through his spine. "It's not like it's gonna be complicated. She'll be there when you're here. You can come home to a clean apartment and some actual food. All you'll need to do is reheat it. You could even leave her a list of food you like and have her make that for you."

"Hmm." he said placing the papers down and thinking about it for a moment, crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned back. "Doesn't sound too bad. I'll look through them later."

Three days had passed and the papers remained on his desk. Erza walked into his office one night after he had left and saw the papers in the exact same spot he had set them down in. She glared down at them as if they had personally offended her. She snatched them off of his desk and muttered something about doing it herself. If he wasn't going to do it then she would. She wasn't going to spend another night crashing at his filthy apartment. She returned to her desk and looked through the pages, marking off different girls that she liked so that she could call them in for interviews the next day.

 **-The Next Day-**

Lucy looked around as she entered the lobby of the Fairy Tail building. It wasn't the most lavished building she'd ever seen but it was nice and had a certain air about it that made her feel comfortable. She walked over to the reception desk and told her that she had an appointment to see Erza Scarlet. They told her where to go and let her in right away, directing her. As she walked through the building she realized it was not at all what she was expecting. Instead of the calm, quiet air that normally came with an office building, there people everywhere, running and shouting...Shouting? That was new. She saw arguments, heard someone yelling about manly things, it was chaotic for sure. But in a weird way it was a kind of comfortable chaos and Lucy didn't know how to feel about that. Amongst the chaos, Lucy spotted a petite blue-haired girl. The two girls met each other's gaze and the bluenette smiled at Lucy who warmly returned it. Lucy continued on, coming to an office with Erza's name on the door. Lucy peeked in and saw a female form slumped over the desk, a mess of red hair spread across it.

Erza was done. The interviews were not going as planned and everyone she had interviewed had been slightly strange to say the least. From the thick, dark girl who went on about how men could keep anything clean to the dark haired beauty who took her work so seriously she threatened to cut anyone who got in the way of her cleaning. That Kagura was really something else. All the other candidates had been just as strange. Erza looked up to see the blonde beauty standing in her doorway. Energy returned to her at the hopeful prospect of this seemingly normal looking girl. Though appearances could be deceiving as with the others. She called the girl in and the smiling blonde entered and took a seat across from Erza. The redhead sat up in her chair and looked at the girl's file. Lucy Heartfilia. The last name sounded familiar but she didn't have the brainpower to look into it or think about it so she moved on and began the interview. Erza looked at the beautiful young girl in front her. Her long hair and bright eyes making her look angelic, fit her perfectly curved figure, and the girl always had a smile. She seemed like a sweet girl and Erza smiled to herself as she thought about how Natsu could use someone sweet. Not to mention that Lucy had a decently sized bust and she knew that Natsu would like that.

"Well Lucy you seem like a very capable and wonderful girl so you're hired." Erza said proudly. "I should warn you though this will be no easy task."

"I'm ready for whatever. I mean it's only cleaning. But don't worry I won't let you down." Lucy said with conviction and Erza couldn't help but smile.

"Here's the address." She said handing the girl a slip of paper. "I suggest getting there at 8 am and you could be done by around noon. Here is a list of recipes to cook for him and a credit card to buy whatever you may need."

"Him? It's not your place?" Lucy inquired not even thinking about whose house she was cleaning. Erza couldn't help but laugh.

"No, you'll be cleaning my boss's apartment." Erza informed. "He should be gone most of the day but if you do run across him don't worry he's a decent man."

Lucy nods as she looks over the papers and specifically the recipes. She frowns realizing there were a lot of spicy foods on it. Then she looks at the credit card amazed that she was given one, not for personal use of course but still. Ah well, Lucy shrugged and then stood up to shake Erza's hand. She got up and followed the blonde out of her office watching as Lucy walked away.

"Who was that Erza?" Mira asked stopping next to Erza and looking at the cute blonde.

"Natsu's new housekeeper." Erza stated. "She's gonna clean up his lair."

"She's cute." Mira smirked and Erza knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Don't even think about it Mira."

"What?" She whined. "Come on you know Natsu could use someone in his life."

"Yes, I feel bad for the girl he sets his sights on."

"And yet you're handing one over on a silver platter." Mira says slyly. "One that's just his type."

Erza looks over at Natsu's office, his doors had been closed all day. She swears if he was slacking off she was gonna beat him until he begged for death. Inside the office for some unknown reason, Natsu shivered. He shook it off and then returned back to his work. A few hours later Natsu finally left and went home. He entered his apartment exhausted from the long day of work. He goes and takes a quick shower. With a towel still wrapped around his waist he walks out to his kitchen and opens his refrigerator, frowning when he sees it's empty. He turned at the sound of his blue cat meowing. Don't ask why it was blue he sure as hell didn't know. He had just found him like that and then took him home and names him Happy. Natsu took out some fish, about the only thing the cat would eat, and fed it to him. Natsu reached for the phone and called for takeout...again. After eating he crashed into his bed staring up at his ceiling and Happy cuddling up next to him. He thought of the long day ahead of tomorrow as he began to drift off sleep. What he didn't know was that tomorrow he'd be in for a surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys! Arisa let me out to play XD I'm gonna get it for that haha. Anyways thanks for all the likes and the faves and the reviews! Glad you guys like it. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Hope you like this chapter and as always let us know what you think. And check out Arisa's tumblr. She's got a lot of great art on there.**

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Natsu grumbled as he took out the keys to open his door. He was exhausted and didn't have time to shop for food. Though, it wasn't like he could cook, last time he tried he almost burned his apartment down. His apartment...Natsu froze on the spot, he looked at the sight in front of him as he took a cautious step through the door. No, this was NOT his apartment. He quickly backed up and looked at his door. 310. He looked back at the apartment, then back again at his door. 310. Yup, it was the right number. The hell it was. He turned back to the inside of the apartment and cautiously walked in. It was the same sight, a pristine, surreal environment. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't back at his office passed out on the desk. He looks down and sees Happy coming up to greet him with a meow. Yeah it definitely was his apartment. He thought back and remembered Erza saying something about wanting him to get a maid.

 **This Morning**

Lucy looked up from the slip of paper in her hand and at the building in front of her. It was the right address. She walked toward it, looking around as she entered. It was a nice building, luxurious but not overly so. It seemed t o be more of a good mixture of comfort and luxury. It didn't feel like a museum or some place for super rich people. She finally found apartment 310 and took out the key she had been given. She walked in and found the apartment to actually be a very nice size. As she looked around she discovered it had three rooms, a kitchen, a full bathroom, and a small hallway. It was a nice apartment save for one thing. It was a complete and utter mess! She brought her hands up to her head and cursed to herself, never did she think it would be this bad. Sure Erza had warned her but she never expected this. She would've thought the CEO of a big company would keep his apartment in better condition. Lucy cried to herself thinking of the mess she had to clean. She sighed heavily and continued to walk around. Oh well, no wonder the pay was so high. She hoped five hours would be enough time to clean this hellhole.

 **Present**

Natsu walked around his apartment, inspecting it like it was the first time he had ever step foot in it. It felt like some of his things didn't even belong to him. Nothing was where it was supposed to be...or was it the other way around? Everything was clean and tidy, he frowned slightly missing his organized mess but admitted that his apartment looked much more presentable. His eyes widened as he remembered something. His room. Uh oh, he had certain...things...that he didn't want an old fat lady seeing. He ran to his room and entered to yet another foreign piece of his apartment. It was clean and tidy like the rest of the apartment and his...things...were not where he had left them. Natsu cursed under his breath seeing his uh _special_ magazines stacked on his dresser. She had seen. She had seen his dirty magazines. He walked out annoyed and figured he should hide them better.

Natsu walked toward the kitchen though he didn't know why. It's not like he had shopped for food. Wait, he remembered Erza saying something about the maid being able to cook too. He ran excitedly to the kitchen and swung open the door to his refrigerator. It was heaven. Inside, there was actually food, a lot of it and his favorites too. Now if only it tasted as good as it looked. He took out some of the food, which looked like some chicken and heated it up. He returned to his fridge to inspect it more. He found some casseroles with notes on them. He looked at the neat writing which specified that it was food for the cat. He took the mix of fish, rice, carrots and ground chicken and placed it on the ground for Happy. He closed the fridge door and went to take his food from the microwave. He walked over and sat at the table, taking a bite of his food. Yup, that was it. He was in heaven. The food tasted godly, no better than that. It had been so long since he had cooked meals, he missed it. He scarfed the delicious food down, eating it all. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach, satisfied. He didn't care what this lady looked like he was gonna keep her services forever. Natsu looked down at hearing Happy meow in approval of his special meal.

"Hey Erza!" the red head nearly jumped out of her seat when Natsu barged through her doors the next morning, a bright smile plastered on his face. "Thanks a bunch for hiring that maid! It's the best thing ever since Igneel...and you guys...and Happy...and food...whatever it's one of the best things!"

"No problem, Natsu." she smiled at him, glad that he was happy. "I was just doing my job. looking out for your ass as usual."

"Yeah, yeah." he chuckles softly as he headed to his office.

A week went by, then a month and Natsu continued to be pleased with his new maid. He always came home to a spotless apartment, not a dust mite in sight. His fridge was always stocked with pretty much already made food and Happy was eating like a king. Life didn't seem like it could get much better. He was the head of a fairly successful company, he worked with great people, great friends, and now his normally messy apartment and empty fridge was always clean and always full. What else could he want? What else could he need? Why despite all of this did something not feel...right. Why did something feel like it was missing? At first, there always seemed to be this odd lingering warmth whenever he got home but lately it seemed like that...feeling or whatever it was, was fading faster and faster. He found that he didn't want it to go away but he didn't know what caused it, or why it even existed so he tried to ignore it.

On the other hand, there was the young girl who cleaned a certain apartment of a certain young man. She frowned at the sight in front of her. Every evening she left this place spotless and every morning she came in to a disaster. How someone could make such a big mess in such a short amount of time she had no clue. It had to some kind of otherworldly talent. For one month she had been cleaning the damn place and for one month she came to it every morning like it was her first day. Okay maybe not quite that bad but it was bad nonetheless. If the pay wasn't what it was she would've quit on day one. She looked around at the clean apartment. Whoever could make such a mess in such a short amount of time, she did not want to meet them. EVER. It was a pity too because it was such a nice apartment, not too big and not too small, and it had a nice view of the city. It was perfect for a couple. Well, that was a weird thought.

"Well, I'm finally done." Lucy sighed. "Place is clean, food is in the fridge, time to get the hell out of here."

Natsu ran up the stairs of his building, eager to get to his apartment, to food. His mouth watered as he thought of the food that awaited him. Thank god he had done most of his work yesterday so today there wasn't as much, meaning he got out earlier than usual. He fished around for his keys and finally pulled them from his pocket. He went to put the key in the lock when the door suddenly opened. He froze with keys in hand and staring at the sight in front of him. Before him, in his doorway, stood a girl who seemed to be about his age. Upon second inspection he concluded that it wasn't a girl but rather an angel. An angel with long blonde hair that reached down to her waist, and chocolate eyes that seemed to see right through him and pierce his very soul. Eyes that seemed like they could see him and understand him the way no one else ever could. His heart began to pound in his chest as his eyes moved slightly downward to her body, the body of a goddess. She had curves in all of the right places, he swallowed hard as he took notice of her sizeable chest, not too big, not too small. Lucy looked up at the young man in front of her with her big brown eyes, a small smile cracking on her lips. Her lips...his eyes moved up to focus on her soft, plump lips. How he ached to taste them. How he ached to memorize her every curve. It was weird a sensation.

Sure Natsu was single but it didn't mean he didn't like women. His most serious had been with a girl named Lisanna, Mira's sister, but it didn't work out. They ended growing apart, at least in a romantic sense but had ended up remaining good friends. They saw each other as siblings now more than anything else. He had been in relationships before, short ones yeah but still relationships. And sure they had been some attractive girls but never was it like this. Never did they get the attention from him that he was giving this girl now. He had completely lost himself in her. All this time he thought it was some old, fat lady cleaning his apartment. Never did it cross his mind that it was actually a hot, young girl that was doing it, let alone the young women standing in front of him.

"Uh...excuse me." came the small, polite voice of the girl, shaking him out of his daze.

Her soft, fragile voice captivated him, threatening to send him into another daze. He forced himself to snap out of it but realized he had apparently moved out of her way because she had disappeared. A state of panic and confusion ran through him as he searched for the source of his midday dream. He peeked in the apartment, and then ran through the outside hall looking for her. No sign, which meant she probably headed down. He ran downstairs and shouts for her to wait, cursing under his breath. He got to the ground floor and frantically looked around for any sign of the blonde beauty but there was nothing. He shouts for her again. How long had he been stuck in his fantasy? It couldn't have been that long. He sighed heavily as he admitted defeat, resolving to ask Erza about the girl tomorrow. He made it back to his apartment and trudged in feeling the quickly fading warmth that he had grown accustomed to. That's when he realized for the first time that his apartment felt empty. He wasn't sure why or what to make of it but again something felt like it was missing.

Natsu walked through his apartment to see what the blonde girl had left him. As he reached the fridge it hit him. That young hot blonde had been cleaning his mess for a month. How embarrassing and as if it couldn't get worse the horrible reality that she had seen his dirty magazines slapped him in the face. Oh god, his face burned as he realized she had seen the magazines that mostly featured busty blonde girls. She probably thought he was weird pervert. And she was blonde too! He hit his head against the door of his refrigerator. Cursing at how stupid he was. Great, how was he supposed to face her next time?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys thanks for all of the great reviews! Love that you guys are really enjoying and we hope you continue to do so! Enjoy the newwest chapter and please keep telling us how you like it. It's super encouraging.**

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Natsu sulked in his office, thinking about the blonde who had been cleaning his apartment. He slumped low in his chair absent mindedly playing with one of his pens, staring at his desk. He could shake his mind of her. He couldn't shakes his feelings of...whatever they were feeling. Gray, one of his co-workers and long time friend/rival, peaked in around lunch time to see Natsu. He was surprised to see him sulking. Normally, Gray would've teased him about it or said something but this time seemed different and it had been awhile since he'd seen Natsu sulk.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Gray asks as he walks in closing the door.

"Huh? Oh hey Gray. It's nothing." Natus says barely paying attention to his friend. It wasn't nothing, Gray could tell.

"Come on Natsu. What's up?" he asked again sitting across from Natsu.

"It's nothing! Forget about it!" Natsu lashed out though not like usual.

"Just tell me you idiot! You know you're going to anyway. Do quit wasting our time."

"Fine." Natsu sighed defeatedly and proceeded to tell Gray everything that had happened. As expected Gray laughed at Natsu and pointed at him calling him an idiot. "Shut up, you're not helping." Natsu said glaring at him.

"Sorry." Gray chuckled wiping his eyes. "Best thing to do is to play it cool and hot."

"What are y-" Natsu began, confused.

"You have to be the first one to make a move." Gray said cutting him off. "Be the first to attack. If she is the way you described her then with a girl in her league, you're gonna need all your power to win her over." Natsu sat up in his chair a bit and slumped over his desk as his interest was piqued and he listened to Gray. Gray smirked at his concentrated look and continued on. "All right, here's what you're going to do. Take tomorrow off. If you're gonna catch her off guard then you need to be home. First thing you do is take a shower right before she gets there. Once she does, then you leave your bathroom with just your towel on. When she sees you coming out, looking all nice and hot, you're gonna make her face go as red as a tomato. You'll woo her with your body and score high." Gray told him. "I mean I guess, I'm not a girl so whatever."

Natsu frowns at the comment and crosses his arms in contemplation. It was true he did have a body any woman would drool over. But will it work? He shrugged. What was the worst that could happen? A slap? A kick?

"All right. I'll do it." he smiled at Gray, who smiled back and gave him a thumbs up.

Lucy walked up to the now familiar apartment, thinking about her meeting two days ago. She had met him unexpectedly. She wasn't sure if he had noticed but they had both stopped and stared at each other when they caught sight of each other. Both of them, standing in his doorway. She took notice of his features. His onyx eyes that seemed to be captivated by her and looked at her almost in a way no one ever had before. She noticed his odd but fitting pink hair, and his...body? She couldn't really tell because of his clothes but he looked like he was at least fit. He had on a suit with an odd scarf wrapped loosely around his neck yet it seemed fitting for him. She didn't know if anyone else could pull off that look. He seemed so him, not that she even knew him, but it fit with his look and boy did he look attractive. It was a shame he was such a messy guy, no way would she ever go out with someone who was an enemy to cleanliness and organization. Natsu...that was his name she thought. Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy found herself in front of the apartment door and she sighed as she took out her keys. She mentally prepared for herself for the mess that awaited her on the other side of the door. She turned the lock and handle, entering the apartment. She never knew what kind of mess she was going to be presented with though she had to admit he got creative with the messes he made. She paused slightly in surprise as she found that the apartment wasn't as messy as she was expecting. Yeah there were a few thing here and there but it was nowhere near as bad as normal. It was actually still kind of clean. Maybe he had been stuck late at work the day before and had only come home to sleep. She walked over to the couch and put her things down. She begins to pick up some things off of the ground when blue cat comes out and meows at her.

"Hey there." she smiles at him, leaning down to pet the cat earning her a purr.

She freezes as she suddenly hears the bathroom door opening. No one was supposed to be home. Unless...Lucy stood up and turned toward the direction of the bathroom to see the apartment's owner walk out. He had a hand up running through his hair, a single towel wrapped around him. Lucy stared at him wide eyed, as her eyes roamed his body. Fit? Yeah he was pretty damn fit she thought as she tool in the sight of his toned body. Her eyes trailing down to where the towel hung low on his hips and she swallowed hard. His hair was down, creating bangs that made him look pretty damn sexy in her opinion. She shifted slightly uncomfortably, her body betraying her. As he walked closer, she took note of the scar on his neck and had the strange urge to press her lips to it.

"Yo." Natsu greeted her with his trademark grin and Lucy cursed to herself. She did NOT remember him being this hot. "Hey, sorry if I scared you. I wasn't feeling too good this morning so I decided to stay home." he stood in front of her now and Lucy managed to look up at him, her face flushed and her lips slightly parted. God he smelled so good.

Natsu smirked, happy that Gray's advice worked for once. Every other time he had been given advice it backfired. That was how they teased each other, but this time it had actually worked in his favor. Sure he was nervous when he heard her come in. He realized that instead of a slap or a kick he could completely scare her away. She's scream in terror, run away and never comeback and that was the last thing that he wanted. But he gathered his courage and went through with his plan. Now he was in front of her and for all intents and purposes, so far the plan seemed to be working. He bent down slightly so they were face to face. Before she could say anything she saw a smirk spread across his lips.

"Like what you see?" He asked playfully as his onyx eyes seemed to study her, to pull her in, to pierce through her very soul.

She blushes even harder if that seemed possible. She looked away and said no to herself, backing away so quick it seemed like she jumped. Natsu chuckled softly and took a small step back not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." He held his hand out to her. A good way to break the ice and hopefully find out her name considering he forgot to ask Erza what it was.

"L-Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia." She said softly as she took his hand. They both felt a small jolt of electricity as they touched and a warmness spread over them causing Lucy to look to the side embarrassed.

"Nice to meet ya Luigi." He smiled.

"It's Lucy!" She shouted turning back to him with a pout.

"Yeah, right. Heh." He smiled as he reluctantly let go of her hand and headed toward the kitchen. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Huh?" Lucy asked not sure if she had heard him right.

She turned to see him walking toward the kitchen and she shook her head softly as she resigned to following him. The way he had so casually asked what was for breakfast threw her off given their relationship, or rather lack of one. In fact, she had almost responded with an answer without even thinking. Sure she had to clean but since he was here and had asked she figured she might as well make something. She had only ever made him dinner before because he was never home any other time. This wouldn't be so bad though, the apartment wasn't in bad condition so making some breakfast wouldn't mess with her cleaning hours. Natsu stopped at the archway leading to the kitchen and watched as Lucy walked in. Feeling his eyes on her she turned to see him leaning against the doorframe, oh how she wanted run her hands over his perfect body. Lucy's face flushed red at the thought. What had gotten into her?

"Um Natsu?" She began a bit shyly. "Do you think you could maybe put some clothes on now?"

Natsu looked down and saw he was still only wearing the towel. "What? Oh yeah." He had been so focused on her that he had forgotten his lack of clothes.

Natsu laughed softly as he turned and headed to his bedroom to change. Lucy shook her head with a small smile and started getting ready to cook. A few minutes later Natsu walked back out wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He sat down at the table and watched rather intensely as she made breakfast. She had become aware of his piercing gaze but choose to ignore him and continued on. Every now and again she stole quick glances at him and watched him from the corner of her eyes. To her surprise his posture was actually a bit childish. He sat a bit forward in his chair with his legs spread and his hands on the seat cushion between his legs. His expression was focused though which was kind of funny. She didn't know what was so interesting. Lucy then noticed that he wasn't wearing his scarf. She took note of his soft, yet strong neck and jaw though she wasn't sure how that was possible. She looked down and despite his childish posture, his definitely _not_ childish body did not escape her. Yeah he was wearing clothes now, a shirt, and it wasn't like it was tight or anything but my did it highlight his muscles rather well.

She was pulled from her inspection as he began to ask her various questions. What was she cooking? How long had she been in this line of work? He asked about her past to which she replied was confidential. Finally he asked her if she had a boyfriend. She stopped what she was doing and turned to him. Oh boy, she knew where this was going. No way was she going to accept him. Sure he looked good and she wanted to jump in his lap and run her hands through his hair...she quickly stopped herself and put an end to that weird thought. Yeah he seemed interesting and she had to admit she wanted to find out more but...she wouldn't risk getting into a relationship again. At least not anytime soon, not after...she stopped herself and simply said that she did indeed have a boyfriend. This caused Natsu to pout sadly making her chuckle softly at his rather cute reaction. He mumbled something that sounded like "not fair" and Lucy honestly didn't know how to feel about that but it did make her heart skip a beat. She finishes cooking and soon places a plate of food in front of him. She then leans down and puts some food down for

the cat, petting him as she did so.

"Happy." Natsu said simply as he watched her.

"What?" She asked looking up at Natsu as he took a bite of food.

"Happy. His name is Happy." Natsu said after swallowing.

"Oh. Hey Happy." She said softly as she stroked his fur.

"I found him a few years ago and he's been with me ever since."

"Oh yeah? A stray huh?" Lucy said smiling at Happy. "Why is he blue?"

"Beats me. Found him that way." Natsu said I between bites. "I thought maybe it was paint of dye or something but every time I bathed him, nothing." Natsu shivered slightly. "He doesn't like baths." Lucy softly chuckled before standing up.

"Well, you eat. There's a bit lore in the stove if you want." She told him. "I'm gonna get to cleaning."

Natsu simply nodded as he continued eating. And she started cleaning. His eyes followed her everywhere she went, everything she did. After he had finished eating he had even started following her around a bit, watching all that she did. He had finally settled on the couch after getting reprimanded by her and before he knew it she was waving a hand in front of him telling him that she was done and would be leaving.

"Wait!" He jumped up rather too quickly and it made her slightly jump. "Sorry, I-it's just…" He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why don't you stay and hang out for a bit?"

"Oh...sorry but I can't." Lucy said shifting her eyes away from him. Really she found that she wanted to. She had to stop herself from saying okay almost right away.

"Well...but you're normally still here anyway right? You'll still get paid for it." He said grasping at anything he could to keep her there just a bit longer.

"Uh...well." She pretended to think. Sure she was normally still there a couple of hours so staying those same few hours wouldn't hurt, plus she was still getting paid for them. "I guess that's fine. Sure." She said with a smile and found that it was genuine.

How hard could it be to stay anyway? It was gonna be more like babysitting a kid than anything else. She had experience in babysitting so it would be a piece of cake for her. So the two ended up sitting in the living room talking for awhile and then switched to playing board games. Happy would move back forth between the two cuddling not with each of them. Hours went by and she stayed well past the time she normally did, not leaving til well after dark. She had to admit though she had a lot of fun talking and hanging out with him. Natsu had a lot of fun with her too but as soon as she had left he had missed her. As soon as she had left a stale, cold emptiness hung in the air at her absence, gnawing away at his insides. He didn't know why and it was strange but it didn't even feel like the same apartment anymore.

 **The Next Day**

"You've got to be kidding me." Gray said disbelievingly at a grinning Natsu. "I gave you the perfect situation in which you could get laid and what do you do?! You ruin it like an idiot by playing board games!"

"Shut up Gray she's not that kind of girl!" Natsu said angrily, slamming his fist down on the lunch table.

"Idiot." Gray shook his head at his friend from across the table.

"Gihi, couldn't close the deal could you Dragneel?" Gajeel chuckled before talking another bite of his lunch.

"Tch. Missed a golden opportunity Natsu." Loke said shaking his head as he tried to steal a piece of Natsu's food, earning him a smack on the wrist and a glare.

"Shut up. Leave me alone." Natsu defended. "I already said she's not like that I'm taking it easy right now but in the end I'll win her over." He resolved taking another bite of his food with a plotting grin.

He paused at his words. "Win her?" As in making her his? It was the first time he really had that thought and he found he rather liked the idea. Natsu smiled to himself. Yeah that was it. In the end Lucy will be his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Aye, this is Arisa speaking =3=/ . I'm glad u guys like our story xD, I didn't thought you'd enjoy it this much xD .. sadly I need to say is only 6ch long + epilogue.. am sorry..am no good at planning slice of life/drama stuffs q.q . But yeh enjoy the story n let us kno' what u think o.o/ cheers**

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Natsu eyed Lucy the way a predator eyed its prey as she moved around the apartment cleaning it. Friday's had become their hang out day since Natsu started working more on Thursdays. This allowed Natsu to finish early on Friday's letting him leave 2-3 hours before he normally would. He had even started skipping out on hanging out with his friends to be with Lucy. He was teased sure but he didn't care. He even had told her to come later on Fridays ensuring that he got to spend more time with her. On the days it all worked out and she stayed with him, they ended up talking a lot. They both enjoyed each other's company and even Lucy had started looking forward to Friday's at Natsu's. He had even tried to invite her over on Saturday's and Sunday's but she always said that she couldn't saying that she was busy.

"Aren't you done yeeetttt?" Natsu asked with a lazy voice as he layed on his couch.

"I'm almost done Natsu." She said looking over at him chuckling not softly. The way she said his name made him feel all warm inside.

"Come on let's plaaaayyyyy." He sang lazily as he continued to watch her.

"I'll be done in 5 minutes." She huffed placing a hand on her waist.

Natsu groaned as he turned to look at game console that was connected to the tv. After he had discovered her love for games, he went out and bought a video game console with some of her favorite games so that they could play together. It also made keeping her longer easier. She couldn't resist playing a game she liked. And having game one to play with was even better.

After what seemed like eternity she had finally and joined him bringing snacks with her. She sat next to him on the couch and grabbed a control, preparing for gaming. He grinned at her as he ate a couple of chips before grabbing his own controller to start the game.

"Hey, where's Happy?" Lucy asked after a bit in a relaxed voice. "I haven't seen him all morning."

"He...doesn't come home...grr...for a day or two...oh come on!" Natsu began, stressed out because he was losing, again, but still tried to answer her question. "...sometimes."

"Really? That's weir-YYYEEEESSSSS!" Lucy yelled as she jumped up triumphantly at beating Natsu in the game.

"Dammit!" Natsu huffed and threw the controller down. He leaned back and slouched on the couch, crossing his arms across his chest as he mumbled. "...not fair, I'm the guy...should be winning not losing...embarrassing…"

"Oh yeah?" Lucy smiled at him as she giggled, finding his reaction rather cute.

Natsu sighed and allowed a small smile to form as he looked over at the angelic girl. "Happy found a cat he likes so sometimes he sneaks to go visit her." He told her answering her earlier question. "I know the cat's owner too, she doesn't live far so I don't worry about it. The little guy can take care of himself."

"I see. He's got a little girlfriend huh?" Lucy smiled.

As if on queue the two of them turned at hearing a meowing sound come from the window. Natsu got up and walked over to the sliding glass door that led to his balcony, opening it. Lucy's eyes widened when she saw Happy come in. Firstly, because she she didn't know how the hell he got up to the 10th floor, did he have wings or something that she didn't know about? It was the 10th floor! Did he climb up, hop up, fly up? She racked her brain wondering how he got up there and how he would even survive the jump down. Secondly, Happy was brown. Lucy frowned last time she cheked he was _blue._ That was when she realized he was covered in mud. And of course he left a trail of muddy paw prints on her clean floors as he entered. Her brows knit together as she watched the clean floor being defiled. Natsu hadn't even bothered to stop Happy or pick him up to keep him from bringing in his mess.

"Hey buddy, how's Carla?" Natsu simply smiled at his friend, earning him a meow and making Lucy jump up from her spot on the couch.

"What the hell Natsu?!" she asked angrily stomping her foot on the floor making Happy and Natsu flinch as she pointed at the trail of muddy paw prints that Happy had left.

"Ah, sorry." Natsu mumbled as he scratched the back of his head and tried for a smile.

"Grab that damn cat and take him to the bathroom now!" Lucy commanded. Oh there was no way she was gonna have this mess.

"Uh, Happy kinda hates baths…" Natsu stopped as he saw Lucy's glare, which in his opinion seemed to be worse than Erza's at the moment. "Aye."

Natsu bent down to reach for Happy who just bolted out of reach away from him. He then lunged for the cat but happy dodged the "attack". Lucy growled and decided to help him and soon the two of them were chasing Happy all around the living room, leaving more of a mess behind. Lucy being too focused on Happy didn't notice yet. The two of them laughed a bit as they bumped into each other more than once during their pursuit of Happy. Finally, Lucy had Happy. She had managed to get a grip on Happy when Natsu accidentally tripped her sending them tumbling down. Happy cried as he was slightly crushed under her arm and Natsu had landed on top of her. He groaned softly trying to recover from the fall, wondering what soft thing his hands had found to cushion his fall.

"N. a. t. s. u." she called his name, her voice shaking with anger. He looked down to see how they had fallen and his eyes trailed down until they came to his hands. His hands that were on her breasts. He gave them a squeeze realising that he liked the feeling but then also realized what it was he was doing. He raised his gaze back up to meet hers and smiled nervously.

"S-sorry Lucy."

"Well, how long are you gonna be doing that?!" she yelled causing him to let go of her and jump up.

A slight blush spread across his cheeks as he got off of her. He held out a hand to help her up but turned his gaze from her in embarrassment. Natsu froze as he realized the current state of the apartment. She angrily got up and puffed her cheeks about to say something but then noticed how he had froze. She follows his gaze and looks at his apartment. Lucy paled a she looked at the muddy paw prints that trailed across the once clean floors, oh if only that's where they had stayed. She looked at the muddy paw prints on the couch and tables, then they hadn't helped any either sending some of the furniture and things into disarray when they were tripping over each other. Natsu took Happy from an expressionless Lucy and held him as he looked at her. He gulped hard and waved a hand in her face. No response. Oh boy…

"Uh, L-lucy…" he said softly, his voice cracking. Still nothing, so against his instincts he gently shook her which seemed to wake her from her trance though he now wished he had just left her alone. If he thought Lusy's previous expression could rival erza's then this one could kill an army. He took a couple steps back trying to escape her glare but he tripped and fell on his ass.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL TAKE THAT DAMN CAT AND GIVE HIM A BATH WHILE I CLEAN UP _AGAIN!"_ she ordered with fury that he never thought could come from her.

Her tone made Natsu and Happy shrink back from her, both looking very guilty. He nodded at her and swiftly got up heading straight to the bathroom. She waited for the door to close before turning to the mess with a heavy sigh. She shook her head and started cleaning up, _again._ She muttered to herself as she walked over to her things and started grabbing whatever she needed. Meanwhile, Natsu had started filling the bathtub with water as Happy struggled in his arms slightly annoying him.

"Hey, listen buddy it's your fault for making Lucy so mad so you gotta cooperate with me here." he said holding the cat out in front of him.

Happy stopped struggling and looked at Natsu. He huffed sadly. The last thing he had wanted was to upset Lucy. He felt a hard tugging at his heart thinking about how angry she had been and how he had let the apartment get messy again right after she had worked hard cleaning it. Happy dropped his ears and meowed sadly with Natsu's pained expression.

"I know buddy." Natsu sighed. "But you know what will make Lucy happy? Seeing you all squeaky clean." he smiled with slight hope. "So we better get started."

Natsu moved to put Happy in the bath to start cleaning him up. Oh if only it was that simple. Sure, Happy for some reason seemed to be sad for upsetting Lucy, it's why he let himself be carried this far, but apparently he wasn't that torn up about it. To actually take a bath, to voluntarily have water touch his fur no way.

"Finally done." Lucy swiped some seat from her brow.

It had only taken thirty minutes to clean the place back to cleaning Natsu's place for awhile now she had gotten cleaning the apartment down to a science. In fact she was quite proud of how fast she had gotten. It didn't hurt that she purposefully started cleaning faster on fridays. She knew round about the time Natsu came home on Friday's and the faster she finished the more time they had to hang out. She looked at the bathroom door where presumably Natsu was bathing Happy. She remembered hearing noises and...Were those shouts she heard coming from the bathroom?

"I wonder what they're really up to." she sighed figuring she better check on the two idiots to see what they were doing. She walked up to the bathroom and opened the door to find Natsu with the shower head in an attack pose. He was angrily looking at Happy who was in the other corner of the bathroom, half clean and hissing at Natsu. Neither of them took notice of Lucy entering the battle zone.

"You asked for this Happy! Dragon's rooaaaaarrrrr!" Natsu yelled out as he turned the water pressure all the way up and pointed the shower head in Happy's direction. Happy hissed when the water reached him, taking note of the open door the cat bolted out of it leaving a trail of dirt and water. Natsu made a sharp turn to follow Happy still trying to hit him with water only to find Lucy in front of him.

"Ahhhh! Natsuuu!" Lucy yelled out as his eyes widened and he quickly shut off the water. "My clothes." she whined softly and then looked at him, sending daggers.

Natsu dropped the shower head and rushed over to her grabbing her shoulders making her tense up. He sincerely apologized to her as he looked into her eyes worriedly which surprised her. She closed her mouth from saying anything else, her anger quickly dissipating.

"I-I'm really sorry Lucy. For Happy...for the mess…" he started saying with a sad expression. "I'm sorry for wetting your clothes...for today. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I didn't mean to stress you out of make you mad." she relaxed under his gaze and for some reason felt a small pang of guilt at seeing him like this.

"N-Natsu...I…" she began as she took a step, still feeling his hands on her. Lucy felt slightly confused as she felt his grip tense around her shoulders as he turned back to look at her. She looked up at him as he stared at her wondering why he tensed. She looked slightly to the side of him and caught sight of the shower head when something hit her. She thought back to moments ago when Natsu shouted his 'attack'. "Dragon's roar?" she questioned and he looked confused. He followed her gaze and saw what she had looked at. "I thought dragons spit out fire." she said in an amused tone.

"I-I know that much." Natsu said letting go of her shoulders and looking away embarrassed that she had walked in on that. He almost would rather she see his magazines again. No! Anything but that. "I didn't have any fire back then, plus if it was fire it would hurt Happy." he mumbled to himself pulling his scarf up to his nose to hide the blush that was forming.

Lucy began giggling which eventually led to full on laughter. She pointed at him and said that he was funny. Natsu got slightly annoyed but shrugged it off. She was laughing and he didn't care the reason why he was just happy that she was. Natsu allowed a smile to form on his lips. She stopped laughing and asked why he was grinning. He told her that it was because he got to see her laugh again, he didn't care if it was him she was laughing at. Lucy's breath hitched and she quickly turned from him to hide the mad blush that was starting to form. She then sneezed and Natsu moved closer to her.

"You should take a warm bath. I'll find something for you to wear." he said softly and she nodded. She groaned softly as she caught sight of the new mess that Happy made and immediately she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it I'll take care of it. You just take a nice bath and relax. Take your time you deserve it." he smiled warmly. "I'll grab you a towel and clothes, one sec."

Natsu rushed off to his room and it wasn't long before he returned with a towel and a fresh change of clothes. He handed them to her and she took them from him. She was in a kind of daze realising that she had agreed to take a bath in a man's home. She couldn't believe it but before she could react she found herself pushed into the bathroom, the door shut behind her. She sighed and allowed a small smile as she locked the door. Natsu sighed leaning against the door and sliding down it, was gettign too dangerous for him, a few more minutes and he might've lost it. The water he had sprayed her with had completely soaked her shirt though and stuck to her, revealing her purple bra. He covered his mouth as he cursed softly, a blush forming. How he wanted to see her without the shirt. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind of her chest as he went to clean up.

Lucy decided to go ahead and listen to Natsu, taking her time in the bath. It really was relaxing actually and she found that she was quite satisfied with it. She dried herself off with the towel he had given her and then reached for the clothes. She slipped on the loose black shorts and then reached to grab the red shirt. As she unfolded it she saw the black outline of a dragon printed on the front of the shirt. She looked at the design and chuckled to herself.

"So that's where the dragon roar came from." She said to herself as she pulled the t-shirt on over her head. "He must like dragons or something."

Lucy opened the door and walked out of the bathroom being met with the cool air of the apartment. She walked into the room and smiled softly at seeing that he did indeed clean and he did a pretty good job at that. Her nose suddenly caught the smell of food and wondered if he was eating. She looked out the window and saw that it was take out. She should probably get going but as she looked down at her attire she decided she should wait til her clothes dried. Her stomach growled slightly and she moved a hand over it looking down at it.

"You hungry yet?" Natsu asked poking his head out from the kitchen with a grin.

She looked over with a slight blush at him. His grin disappeared as he caught sight of her in his clothes. She looked better in them than he did and how she managed to look even sexier in men's clothes he would never know. But seeing the way the dragon shirt hung on her and just the way she looked in his clothes stirred a kind of possessiveness in him for some reason.

"Like what you see?" She smirked as she noticed him staring. _Payback for the whole shower thing._ She thought to herself.

Natsu woke from his daze and had to actively stop himself from saying "yes". He pushed thoughts of them together out of his head.

"I got dinner ready." He grinned at her as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the kitchen/dining area.

Upon entering she looked at the table that contained not only her food but other food set out on it as well. She hadn't made all that but as if he had read her mind he told her that he had also ordered some take out. He wasn't sure what she was in the mood for so he wanted to cover his bases.

"It was the least I could do after everything. I mean I would've rather taken you out to dinner but with your clothing like that…" He smiled shyly but then it morphed into a smirk and in a cheeky voice told her: "Next time for sure I'll take you out to a nice restaurant."

"Thanks." She said softly as she smiled at his words, a blush appearing on her cheeks.

They sat at the table and began eating, a blush still in Lucy's face. Natsu couldn't help but steal glances at her and smile. Something about the atmosphere and having her here felt right. It was only then that he realized how incomplete he was. Sure he had his friends and he always hung out with them and he had his work to keep him busy and it wasn't like he didn't feel lonely at times. But having the smallest of glimpses of what it was like to have someone special in his life again made him realize the depths of his emptiness. Never had he felt this way about anyone before. Never had his emotions been so up and down, feeling happy and content and then empty and alone. Her absences always felt and weighing heavy on him. Yet, she was taken. She had made it clear that she had a boyfriend much to the dismay of Natsu and his emotions. So What was he to do?

After they had finished eating they had opted to watch movie. He let Lucy pick and they settled on the couch to watch it, waiting for her clothes to finish drying. Afterwards, she changed back into her clothes and got ready to leave. Natsu insisted on walking her home since it was so late now despite her assurances that she would be okay.

He didn't want her walking home this late at night, despite it being only a twenty minute walk.

"So, thanks for letting me use your bath again." Lucy said softly as they reached her doorstep. She turned to make sure she faced him fully. "And for dinner. It was delicious."

"It was nothing. Really." He smiled as he looked at her, his hands in his pockets.

He continued to stare at her and she clutched her heart as it began to beat faster in her chest. His staring was too intense if he kept it up it could mean trouble for her. She might just grab him and smash her lips against his. He swallowed softly as she bit her lower lip, finding it very attractive and making him want to push her up against her door. Lucy broke the silence thanking him again and then rushing inside. Natsu sighed softly as the door closed and he turned to head home.

It wasn't long before Natsu got back to his apartment and crashed down on the bed. He sighed loudly as Happy hopped up onto the bed and trotted over to join his master. He turned to look at Happy as he meowed and saw the cat crawling into the bed all clean now.

"Traitor." Natsu frowned at Happy earning him a meow but seemed more like a smirk. He figured Happy went back to Wendy's after the bath fiasco and ended up getting cleaned there. "What should I do Happy? I don't know how much more of this I can take. Lucy driving me crazy more and more everyday. Don't know how much longer I can hold back." He said grabbing Happy and cuddling with him before falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey guys! Thank you SO much for all of the reviews and comments and positive response you guys have given. Arisa and I talked it over and while it is hard for her to add alot more to the story we did decide that since many of you liked it and wanted more that it would make it slightly longer. Sorry its not by much but instead of 6 chapters it will now be 8 chapters long. Thanks again and keep up the reviews they are super encouraging to us! so without further ado enjoy chapter 5 of The Housekeeper.**

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"There's no way in hell she has a boyfriend." Gray says as they sit around the lunch table.

"Huh?" Natsu asked in confusion as he tilted his head. "How do you know that?"

"If she has a boyfriend then I don't strip at office parties." Gray said but then was quickly annoyed at admitting that fact. "Besides if she had a boyfriend she wouldn't be spending her free friday nights looking after your sorry ass."

"Oi!" Natsu stood up from his seat ready to fight but Gray merely sighed.

"Calm down flame brain. All I'm saying is that she's single, easy prey and yours for the taking."

"She's not prey." Natsu mumbled along with other various insults at Gray. "Then why did she lie? Is she playing hard to get or is she just not interested?"

"Hey I can only help so much. Girls are still plenty a mystery. If they weren't I'd know how to handle Juvia." Gray said.

"Why don't you test it?" Loke says after swallowing a bite of his food.

"It's manly to test!" Elfman smiled as he slapped Natsu on the back.

"This will go well." Freed said more to himself than anyone else.

"Test what?" Natsu asked as he recovered from Elfman's slap.

"I'm saying make her admit she doesn't have a boyfriend." Loke said "Catch her red handed and make her admit she's single and then bam she's yours!" Loke said spreading his hands out to emphasize his point.

"She'll never admit she's single." Natsu pouted, crossing his arms and sinking in his seat.

"Tsk tsk tsk Natsu." Loke said starting to wave a finger at Natsu. "A girl like her can be pretty stubborn so you need to play it right."

"And how do you suppose I go about doing that?" Natsu asked a bit annoyed.

"You need to corner her, trick her into telling the truth."

"Cornering and tricking isn't manly at all." Elfman said looking up from his plate of food.

"The girl told you she had a boyfriend which means she lied. There must be a reason for her behaviour, either she's not interested in a relationship or she doesn't want to be easy prey. Or maybe something dark happened in her past." Freed finally said in his normal analytical manner.

"You're reading too much into this Freed. She's probably just playing hard to get." Gray said, but Freed's words made Natsu frown. Dark past? He thought about what it could be. Natsu was pulled out of his thoughts when Gray slung an arm around his shoulders. "Listen flame head, since tomorrow is friday, the guys and I will make sure to get a plan to corner her up and running by tonight. But you better act the hell out of this, got it?" Gray smirked and Natsu simply nodded before walking out. A minute later Gray caught sight of Erza walking by. "Hey, Erza just who the hell did you hire for Natsu?"

"What?" Erza asked stopping in the doorway of the lunch room.

"From the way he talks about her, you'd think he had Aphrodite cleaning his place."

"Who? The blonde girl?" Mira asked, popping her head in. She had an innate way of telling when a romantic relationship was blooming and being talked about. "Is that what he said about her? Aww how sweet!"

"Is something wrong with Natsu?" Erza asked.

"Nothing we can't handle." Loke smiled.

"No, flame brain is just losing his head because apparently you hired him the hottest girl in the universe and she lied to him about having a boyfriend, so now he's all down in the dumps."

"Interesting developments." Erza said smiling to herself. "I wasn't planning on this, but Natsu could use a girl."

"And she seemed cute." Mira chimed in.

"At this rate it might be better to lock those two in his apartment for a week." Erza said and Mira looked at her with a smirk and a glint in her eye. "No, Mira we're not doing that." Erza quickly said realising her mistake and making Mira sigh.

"You're no fun Erza." Mira pouted.

"We got this covered Erza. Don't worry about it." Gray said worried about what might happen if the two women got involved.

"Fine, I'll leave it in your hands then I guess."

The rest of the day the boys began to think up different plans that Natsu could put into motion to uncover the truth about Lucy. Well, to at least get her to admit that she was actually single. Between the four of them, they were sure to come up with an evil fool-proof plan to corner the poor girl. Back at the apartment, Lucy felt an unpleasant shiver run through her as she was cleaning. She had a feeling that somehow tomorrow wasn't going to be a nice, sunny day.

Natsu stood in front of his door the next day after work. As usual he had gotten off early and rushed over and now here he was. He sighed heavily as he took his key and slid it into the lock. Never had he been so nervous to enter his apartment. Well this was it. He turned the key and opened the door. As he entered the apartment he was greeted with a pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen. His stomach growled slightly and for a moment he forgot what he was there to do. He dropped off his coat and bag on a chair in the living room and then took off his scarf. After placing it with his coat he headed towards the kitchen. The sight that greeted him was the final straw, telling him that he had to have her no matter what. She wore a cute white apron atop of her jean short shorts and pink tank top. She stood at the stove with her back to him as she cooked.

"Welcome home." She said, turning her head to greet him with a sweet smile.

He swallowed dryly. He could totally see her with a gold ring on her finger, small kids running around her. He began to smile but stopped himself and pulled himself back to reality. He cleared his throat and began to approach her again, trying to fight off his blush. He greeted her and snuck a peek at what was in the pot as she returned her attention to it. They began to chat like usual.

"Whatcha cookin' Luce?" he asked cheerfully.

 _Luce? Since when did he start calling her Luce?_ She thought to herself hearing him call her that. "I'm doing something a little different today, trying out a new recipe. But don't worry I always make sure it's spicy enough for you." she said innocently smiling at him and then turned back to her cooking.

He watched her with lidded eyes, her reply just making him want her all the more. He watched her prepare and mix ingredients, moving about the kitchen. After a couple minutes, realizing she hadn't gotten any kind of response from him, she turned around. As she faced his direction her heart skipped a beat. She exhaled sharply and grabbed on to the edge of the counter by the stove as he looked at her with lust in his eyes.

"Luce." he said, his voice husky and barely above a whisper.

She opened her mouth to say something but her voice failed her, her eyes locked onto his. She was shaken from her daze at the smell of the cooking food. Lucy quickly turned her head to check on the food and lowered the heat on the stove. Her quick movement had somehow stirred her scent and sent it to Natsu. He took in the smell he had so come to love over the past couple of months and it sent him over the edge. Screw it, to hell with the plan, to hell with holding back, single or not (horrible he knew) he couldn't be without her. He wanted to be with her more than he had wanted anything in his entire life. He took a few steps forward, walking up behind her and lowering his lips to her ear.

"It's not nice to lie Lucy." he purred, the sudden warm breath on her ear startling her and sending a shiver down her spine that she didn't at all seem to mind too much.

"Wh-what are y-you talking about?" she stuttered.

"You're not very good at lying Lucy. I know you don't have a boyfriend." he said huskily.

"I-wha-that's not true! I have one!" she said trying to defend herself.

"I don't know why you're lying but your actions say otherwise. If you had a boyfriend then you wouldn't be spending your friday nights here with me." She knew he was right too. Now that she thought about it that was true, she was careless in keeping up her cover. She mentally cursed. "That or he's a loser of a boyfriend who doesn't know what he has. But it doesn't matter cuz I know you want me."

"Hey, listen here mister-" she muttered but stopped when she found herself trapped against the counter next to the stove, his arms on either side of her.

He smirked at her as he advanced on her, their faces mere inches apart now. Lucy's cheeks flushed red and her breathing intensified as her mouth hung slightly open. Natsu's smirk disappeared, melting into a look of lust as he leaned forward and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. His confidence growing, along with other things, as he felt her responding in kind. She allowed her eyes to close as she watched Natsu's lids drifting down, their lips brushing lightly against each other. They were both still hesitant, slightly fighting the pull of their lips toward each other, as they felt their breath on each other. Hesitation eventually gave way to a soft, sweet kiss. Their hearts racing as they felt the tingle of the other's lips against their own. Lucy gasped slightly as they deepened the kiss. Natsu reveled at the softness of her lips. She began to move her hand slightly to the stove knobs, trying to turn it off while she was still a little coherent. She wasn't going to waste the food she worked hard on. Finally she turned off the stove and wasted no time in grabbing his shirt as they continued making out. Her other hand gripped the counter tightly as she felt his hands on her. He slid them up her thighs and back around to her ass earning him a small gasp. After a bit he continued sliding his hands up her body, up her sides and stopped them just below her breasts, his thumbs brushing under them. She sighed as he slid his hands down her back, over the curve of her bottom, to the back of her thighs. Gripping tightly he lifted her up onto the counter, eliciting a yelp from Lucy. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he moved closer to her. They broke the kiss breathing heavily as they looked into each other's eyes. He leaned forward again and pressed his lips against her neck eliciting a moan from her, a sound he definitely wanted to hear again. He kissed her neck harder and her breath hitched as she leaned her head back against the cupboard. A pleasurable shiver ran through her body as his lips pressed against her pulse, the tip of his tongue brushing against her soft skin. She moaned again and clawed at his shirt as he sucked on her neck in between hard kisses. His hands at her waist roamed her body sending pleasurable shocks through her. He slid his hands up to cup her face as he reluctantly pulled himself from her neck, some of her messy hair slipping between his fingers as they caught their breath, her face flushed with excitement. They smiled at each other and he kissed her again passionately. God how he loved her. She grabbed at his shirt unbuttoning a couple of the buttons. He slipped his hands under her shirt a bit, enjoying feeling of her soft skin beneath his fingertips. She moaned softly as he pressed his fingers into her skin and nipped at her bottom lip repeatedly. Her hand ran over his neck and to the back of his head when suddenly his stomach growled. Lucy allowed a small smile but kept kissing him. A moment later it happened again and this time Natsu growled trying to listen to the other wants of his body. Lucy gasped again as they deepened the kiss and he slid his hands further up her shirt. His stomach growled again insistently followed by sharp hunger pangs.

"Dammit!" he yelled breaking the kiss and Lucy giggled.

"It's okay." she assured him as she placed soft kisses on either side of his face. "Food is going to get cold anyway." Though she didn't really want to stop, suddenly having a need that she wanted sated. She decided maybe, somehow, it was currently the wiser course though to stop.

Natsu reluctantly pulled away from her but not before giving her another deep kiss. She softly nipped at his bottom lip before they broke apart and she slid off of the counter. She shyly turned from him and started to adjust her clothes and fix her hair. Natsu looked at her and then looked away multiple times not sure how exactly to act. He merely nodded when she said that she would finish cooking and returned to the food. He went to the bedroom and slammed the door shut. He paced back and forth cursing at himself. What kind of man was he backing down from that, from her, it wasn't like him at all. He turned to face his bed, dropping to his knees and slamming his head on the mattress. He mumbled to himself about being an idiot as he repeatedly punched the side of the mattress. His hand slipped at he hit the bed frame hard. He cursed as he recoiled, holding his hand in pain. Lucy had hear him and all she could do was giggle at his behaviour. Despite his frustration it had sounded quite comical. Finally, Natsu got up and went to take a shower, a cold shower, while Lucy finished the getting dinner ready.

Natsu emerged wearing fresh clothes as Lucy finished putting food on the table. When he saw there wasn't a plate for her he insisted she stay for dinner. After not too much insistence she decided to and so joined him at the table. The rest of the day was a little less than normal as they stole glances at each other throughout the night. Happy didn't help either, seeing as he seemed to be eyeing the both of them as if he knew something was up. At one point Lucy could swear he was smirking at them and as she looked at him harder and he meowed she could've sworn she heard him say: 'You liiiike each other.' Weird. No, there was no way the cat had said that.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey guys! Here with a new chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you've bene enjoying the rest of the story. As always please feel free free to review/comment and let us know what you think and what you liked. We always enjoy reading what you guys have to say! It gives us the fuel and encouragement to keep on going. Enjoy!**

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Lucy closed her eyes, praying, pleading as she turned the key in the doorknob. She begged for Natsu not to be home as she entered the apartment, or for him not to finish work early. She was jaded after what had happened between them the day before. Her mind was all over the place, a mess and her heart ached. She didn't know what to do, what to think. She was torn. A part of her told her to take a chance and to go for it, to let Natsu in, to be in a relationship with the man she had began to fall so quick for. But then there was a part of her that told her not to do it, not to take that leap, to hold back because in the end she would be left hung out to dry. Upon looking around and realizing the apartment was indeed empty, Lucy let out a sigh of relief. She set her bag down and began to slowly take out her tools with shaky hands.

At work, Natsu wasn't fairing any better. Natsu simply wasn't Natsu anymore. He walked around the office dazed, like a ghost and it had been eerie for the others because they didn't sense his presence until the last second. Erza raised her eyebrow at him when she had talked to him about business matters and he didn't seem to be paying attention, more than usual. Everyone knew something was off, their boss was not his usual self. After a while Gray had finally had enough and decided to go and talk to his friend.

"Hey Natsu! Snap out of it!" Gray said shaking him violently.

"Huh? What?" Natsu said being pulled out of his trance.

"What's wrong with you man? You look wrecked!" Gray said looking at how Natsu stood before him. "Don't tell me the plan didn't work and she ditched you?!"

"Huh? What plan?" Natsu asked still adjusting to reality.

"What do you mean what plan? Don't tell me you-ah forget it." Gray said annoyed. "What the hell's the matter? Something must've happened!" Gray crossed his arms waiting and Natsu mumbled his answer. "What?" Natsu mumbled again annoying Gray even more. "Speak up man!"

"We make out!" Natsu shouted angrily and the commotion in the office stopped as pretty much all eyes fell on them. Everyone was shocked by what they had heard. Was it right? Did Natsu proposition Gray the way they thought he did?

"Hey, idiots! Nothing happened! Tch." Gray cursed under his breath and pushed Natsu into a nearby office for a more private chat. "Get in here and tell me what happened. Come on spill it!"

"Well...I had started out with the plan but…" Natsu began and Gray listened intently. "...I couldn't help myself so we ended up making out."

"Heh, thatta boy." Gray smirked. "But wait, then why are you so gloomy?"

"I don't know...it was good, her lips were soft, uh but we were uh...interrupted by something stupid." Natsu said not wanting to divulge that detail. "And after we acted like a couple of shy teens. Like we'd never kissed anyone before...so stupid. We didn't kiss again and we neither one of us tried to take it further." Natsu sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do. Yeah we made out and I don't think she hated it but...now what? What does this mean? Are we like a thing now? Do I even have a chance? Was her kissing me back a yes or was just I don't know instinct? What was it? Should I giver her space?" Natsu asked, starting a rant of questions that was beginning to get hard for gray to keep up with.

"Whoa slow down man." Gray said as Natsu sped through his questions. "First of all, tell me what she looked like when you guys made out." Natsu looked at Gray with a glare. "I'm not being pervy! But if I know how she reacted and stuff then I might have an idea of what you should do."  
"Fine...I don't know. She was breathing heavy, and was blushing...she uh...she moaned a bit.." Natsu said with a slight blush not even sure if he needed to divulge that detail. "I don't know it seemed like she wanted more the way she was grabbing at me and kissing me and stuff."

At the very least she didn't mind it but after she was like all shy and stuff."

"Well, yeah of course she was. You cornered her, kissed the hell out of her, got her all worked up and then you did nothing. For whatever you reason you didn't take it any further. No wonder the poor girl was confused." Gray said crossing his arms over his chest. ""It's your own damn fault for leaving the battlefield and hiding in your room. Jeez you're acting like a virgin."

"What did you say to me prick?!" Natsu said snapping out of his daze long enough to get angry at Gray.

"You heard me!"

"Hey boys!" Mira said cheerfully as she walked into the office. She had been walking by the office and saw the two of them through the glass windows.

"Hey what are you doing?" they asked her as they turned their attention to the white haired woman.

"My love sensor picked up a signal coming from here." she giggled and they sneered at her response looking at each other with disgusted faces. "Don't worry I wasn't talking about the two of you. I know you're as straight as they come." the boys sighed in relief. "Sooo...what's the problem. Is it you and Juvia?" she asked with a bright smile looking at Gray before turning to Natsu. "Oor you and Lucy?"

"Wha-how do you know her name?" he asked confused.

"Dude, the whole company knows about your Aphrodite." Gray smirked.

"What?! You telling other people my business?!"

"Hey I didn't say anything! It's not my fault you wear your emotions on your sleeve!"

"Boys boys, enough." Mira said getting them to calm down. "So what seems to be the problem Natsu?" sighing in defeat Natsu told her everything he had told Gray. "Awwwww! How sweet!" the boys had to cover their ears from her high pitched squeaking. She was worse than a kid on Christmas when she got like this. "Natsu you're just growing up aren't you? You got a girl in your life now, getting to go on all sorts of cute dates...soon you'll be married and Lucy'll be popping out babies. Oh we'll probably have to call before coming over and stop spending the night huh? Knowing you, you and Lucy will probably be going at it all the time. And I can tell you won't hear any complaints from her, for the most part, in fact I have a feeling she-"

"Whoa, Mira! Calm down, I just barely made out with the girl."

"Yeah, didn't you listen there was definitely no 'going at it' being done."

"Not yeeet." she sang with a smile looking at an embarrassed Natsu.

"If you're not gonna help you can go." he said turning to hide his growing blush.

"Fine fine." she said calming down and then giving Natsu a thumbs up, which left him confused. "Look, she didn't glare at you, yell at you, slap you or anything like that right?" she asked him and he nodded. "All she did was act kind of shy?" he nodded again. "Then you got a thumbs up." she said cheerfully. "She's probably just confused and trying to process what happened. I mean you did just jump on her while she was making dinner, something I have a feeling she'll have to get used to." Mira smirked. "Besides not all girls are full of energy like Juvia." Mira giggled and looked over at Gray who grimaced at the thought. That girl was really too much at times but at least they loved each other. "So just give here some time to sort out her feelings. She probably wasn't expecting any kind of romantic happenings at this job." she smiled turning to Natsu again. "I'm sure once she's finished doing that and she's ready, she'll be all yours." she winked at Natsu and then walked out of the office to return to work.

Yeah...that seemed right. He should give her time to sort out her feelings and everything. Natsu didn't feel he had to worry too much since he figured her feelings were mostly positive, after all she did kiss him back. She let him keep kissing her and touch her and...Natsu shook his head, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. He shouldn't think too much about _that._ He should keep those feelings to himself and not act on them for now. He'd wait. He'd wait for Lucy to give him the green light, to tell him that they could be a couple. He wasn't gonna force her.

"Well, there ya go." Gray said slapping Natsu on the back as he walked out of the office. "Good luck with it man."

"Ow!" Lucy curse under her breath as she put a band-aid on her finger.

She had finally finished with her work and was getting ready to leave. The day had not gone smoothly at all. She kept spacing out , thinking about their...er interaction...and kept bumping into furniture and whatnot. This resulted in various bruises and scratches along with a worried Happy. The worst part was when she had cut herself. Daydreaming while using a knife to cut up food was definitely not a good idea. She was as lucky it wasn't that bad of a cut, though it still hurt like hell. She sighed softly as she finished tending to her finger and put the rest of the things in her backpack. She slung it in her shoulder and headed for the door.

As she reached for the door, it opened revealing Natsu. It reminded her of when they first had met. They looked at each other, their eyes meeting, slightly surprised. Natsu's heart pounded in his chest as he took in the sight before him. His Aphrodite. Her blonde hair and big brown eyes that he now knew for sure could know him and understand him like no one else. His eyes roamed her body and lingered on her soft lips. How he ached to taste them again to feel her soft skin beneath his fingers. How he ached to know her and not just in the physical sense.

Lucy looked up at him and felt her heart jump in her chest. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and to feel his lips against hers. She aches to feel his body against hers, roam her hands over his body. But that wasn't all she felt a longing for being in the couch with him and playing games or watching movies. She wanted to feel his arms wrapped around her. She looked into his eyes. His onyx eyes that undoubtedly looked at her as no man ever had before. Yeah there was a look of lust in them but there was so much more there too. Lucy had never thought a person could say so much without uttering a single word.

"Excuse me." she said softly just like last time and she proceeded to walk around him. But unlike last time she felt his hand grab her arm.

"Wait." he said softly and she turned to look at him.

Neither of them said anything, they just stood there and looked at each other. Finally Lucy decided to break the silence. "Um...about yesterday. I-I…" she was interrupted by Natsu's reaction. When she had mentioned yesterday he grabbed her arm a little tighter. She opened her mouth to continue but Natsu beat her.

"About yest-last time…" he began. "Sorry." he looked away with a slight blush on his cheeks and she began to blush also. "I shouldn't have...cornered you...like that." he sighed softly and turned to look into her eyes again. "I'm sorry Lucy." she could see the sincerity in his eyes and a feeling of relief and a sort of comfortableness washed over her. "But...I'd like you to think it over...please...you know...about what happened and stuff." he said trailing off into a whisper. "But of course take your time!" he said still looking at her and panicking a bit. "You don't have to give me an answer now or anything...but um…" he continued as he brought his hand to his neck and scratched it. The face that he looked shy was actually quite adorable in her eyes. She allowed a small smile to spread on her lips. Maybe he wasn't that bad, maybe she could give him a chance after all.

"Mh." she said nodding. "I'll think about it Natsu. I promise."

She kept her smile on him as he lifted his eyes back up to hers. Seeing her genuine smile made him breathe a sigh of relief and sent a warmness through him. He gave her what she came to know as his signature grin, showing his fangy teeth. He let go of her arm and apologized. Reluctantly he let her leave deciding it was the best course of action for today. She said goodbye to him with a sweet smile before leaving for home. Natsu walked back into his apartment and huffed. Boy that was hard...but at least everything seemed to be okay. He grinned to himself and headed for the kitchen to see what she had prepared for him. Happy followed after him, meowing for food.

The following day Lucy had received a call from Natsu while she was cleaning his place. He had told her how he forgot some paperwork there and that Erza would kill him if she found out. He begged her to bring him his papers. After being on the phone for five minutes she finally huffed and agreed to save his sorry ass. As she hung up the phone she thought about how she couldn't believe how easy going Natsu was. She still felt shy and a little awkward when they were talking but if she didn't know better she would've thought Natsu had forgotten the last couple of days. She smiled looking at the phone. _Such a kid._ She thought to herself and giggled. That was Natsu though and somehow she found herself comfortable around him and the more she thought of him the more she was attracted to him. Happy meowed and she looked down at her feet..

"Really, Happy...Just what am I gonna do with Natsu?" she sighed petting down to pet him but then giggled.

There were times when Happy purred or meowed and it sounded like an "aye". To be honest it sounded quite cute though strange as it was. She remembered Natsu saying aye once and wondered if it was Happy's fault. She laughed at the memory before getting up to go find his papers. She'd have to take them to Natsu's office...office. A look of saddened look fell on Lucy's face at the word. A world she tried to avoid and forget. She never wanted to get involved with that world again yet here she was. She sighed. It was to save Natsu, and just to take him papers. It wasn't like she was going to work there. Lucy got her things ready, gathering up courage to once again face her nightmare.

Lucy found herself standing in front of the Fairy Tail building for the second time. She thought back to the first time she had been here, it had been awhile since then. Exhaling sharply, Lucy walked into the building and to the receptionists desk letting them know she had an appointment with Natsu. The girl at the desk called up to Natsu's office and he told them to let her in. She nodded to Lucy as she hung up the phone and told her where Natsu's office was located. As Lucy headed that way she began to feel a bit uncomfortable, looking at her surroundings and gripped her bag tighter. She finally reached her destination and Erza had spotted her.

"Lucy! It's nice to see you but what are you doing here?" Lucy gulped at the question.

 _Here goes nothing._ She thought to herself. "Hey Erza nice to see you." she smiled sweetly at the red head.

"How are you?" Erza asked but then frowned. "You're not here to complain are you? That idiot didn't mess anything up did he? He didn't do anything perverted to you?" she asked with her fists raised and ready to storm into his office. Lucy's eyes widened and she began to panic.

"No! Everything's fine." she said grabbing Erza's arm. "Don't worry Natsu didn't do anything bad. He really likes the food I make for him so he asked me to bring him some lunch." Lucy then lifted the bag she was holding to show Erza the two boxed lunches inside.

"Oh, well that's nice of you. He better appreciate this. But why two?" Erza asked confused and Lucy smiled at her grabbing the box on top. "Oh, are you going to have lunch with him."

"Actually, I made you this strawberry cheesecake as a thank you for giving me the job." Lucy said handing it to her, with a slight blush from Erza's comment.

She could've sworn she saw hearts in Erza's eyes as she took the cake from her with delight, all anger and any other thoughts long forgotten. Erza smiled brightly thanking her and bowing to her. She then swiftly excused herself to eat the cake leaving a very bemused Lucy. Lucy then sighed in relief and knocked on Natsu's door before entering. Natsu looked up from his desk to see Lucy enter, a big grin immediately spreading across his face. Lucy smiled softly at him and was actually quite surprised. She had never seen Natsu like this before, at work. He looked like a legitimate, hard working businessman. Not that he wasn't but Lucy was always with him at home so she saw his relaxed, carefree side. She closed the door behind her and before she knew Natsu was in front of her and hugging her tightly. With a light blush beginning to form on her cheeks she pushed him back and shove the bag in his arms.

"Thanks Lucy. You're a lifesaver." he said taking out the lunch box and looking in the bag to see his papers at the bottom. "The cake worked?"

"Yup, plan went according to...well, plan." she smiled proudly. "That seems like a lot of work just to get some papers. You're not doing anything illegal are you?"

"What? No! Come on I thought you knew me better than that." he said slightly hurt at the accusation and Lucy regretted it. "It's just...you might think it's an overreaction but you haven't seen Erza's anger." he said shivering at the thought of it. "They're just important and I couldn't afford to forget them."

"Well, anyways, now that my mission is done I'll go back and finish cleaning."

"Aw, come on why don't you stay and hang out a bit?" Natsu asked. "Have lunch with me, I'll share. Come on Lucy." Natsu quickly realised that she looked uncomfortable. "Sorry, you're right. I shouldn't keep you from work. Be careful."

"Yeah, thanks." she said with a soft smile and left his office.

"Oh hey." Smiled a small blue haired girl as Lucy had begun making her way out. "You're the one cleaning Natsu's place right?"

"Oh, uh yeah. I'm Lucy." she said a bit caught off guard.

"I'm Levy it's nice to meet you." she said shaking Lucy's hand. "How's it going so far? I know Natsu can be messy but from what I hear your great."

"What has he been saying?!" she asked misunderstanding Levy.

"Oh, don't worry, nothing really." Levy assured her. "When you first started he talked about how you cleaned really well and your cooking tasted great. I've never seen him so excited to go home. He's seemed happier lately too...mostly."

"Oh. It's nothing really." Lucy said softly blushing. "He actually isn't as messy as he used to be."

"I bet." Levy smiled and then spotted two of her workmates. "Oh hey! Lisanna, Juvia come meet Lucy. she's the one Natsu's been talking about."

"Don't put it like that!" Lucy said her blush deepening.

"So she's not here to steal Gray?"

"Who's Gray?" Lucy asked and was sorry she ever did.

"Oh, my darling Gray isn't only the greatest man-"

"Tone it down Juvia. You're gonna scare the girl." Lisanna smiled, shaking her head at the lovestruck girl. "Hi, I'm Lisanna." she smiled at Lucy.

"N-nice to meet you." She said looking over at Lisanna as she looked her up and down.

"Just his type." Lisanna smirked and before Lucy could say anything continued. "Sorry, I know how messy he can be...and weird but he's our lovable dork."

"How do you all know how messy he is? Did he never clean before?"

"Sometimes he would, though not very well." Levy smiled.

"Well some of us sometimes crash at his place though Mira is saying that'll probably have to stop." Lisanna said. "Besides those, Mira, Elfman, and I kinda grew up with Natsu. We've known him for years." she said pointing out her siblings to Lucy.

"Yeah Lisanna here was Natsu's first crush and girlfriend." Gray said walking up though upon seeing Juvia he wished he hadn't.

"Oh my darling Gray!"

"Juvia we're at the office!"

"I take it that was Gray." Lucy said before turning back to Lisanna. "So you used to date Natsu?"

"Yeah but it didn't work out. We found out we were better as friends."

"He wasn't manly enough!" Elfman smiled walking over.

"That's not true and you know it brother!" Lisanna said smacking him lightly.

"Yeah I know. Natsu is plenty manly." He smile at Lucy. "I'm Elfman nice to meet you. Hey Mira! Look it's Natsu's Lucy!"

"Don't call her that. Her name's just Lucy." Levy frowned at him.

"Well, hi there." a man with orange colored hair said invading Lucy's personal space. "Aren't you a babe? Wanna maybe go out some time?"

"No, thank you." Lucy said pushing him away from her making him frown sadly.

"Don't mind Loke he's a ladies man." Mira said walking up to the group that had formed around Lucy. "Oh, it's so good to finally meet you!" She said taking Lucy's hands in hers. "Sorry you've had to deal with Natsu's behavior and his messiness. You're always welcomed here."

"Uh, thanks. I didn't think I'd be so popular." Lucy laughed nervously.

"Aren't you just the cutest? You're even more beautiful than I first thought." Mira said. "You and Natsu are going to have the cutest babies!"

"Uh what now?" Lucy said blushing madly, completely thrown off guard.

This was getting to be a bit too much. Yeah they all were friendly and seemed to like her but it was getting to be a bit overwhelming. The fact that she wasn't too thrilled about coming to an office building in the first place wasn't helping. Mira and Levy picked up on the Lucy's uncomfortable and wanted to try and make sure she didn't get overwhelmed because of them.

"All right, everyone back to work." Mira announced and then turned to Lucy. "Say, Lucy why don't you come to our office party on friday? Natsu needs a date." Mira smirked.

"Uh, I don't know and why does him not having a date matter?" Lucy asked puffing out her cheeks.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. Everyone likes you and like I said Natsu needs a date anyway. You two would look cute coming together." Mira said with her signature smile. "Please?"

"I...I guess I could come." Lucy said giving in to her. Lucy sighed she hoped the party would go fine. After all, how hard could attending an office party be?


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Don't really know what to say other than thanks for the support as always and keep the reviews/comments coming. We always love reading them.**

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Yeah how hard could it be indeed. Lucy thought to herself regretting her words. She cursed herself for accepting the damn party invitation. After she accepted Erza, Mira and Levy had all insisted on taking her dress shopping. She had no choice but to agree. Though she didn't mind their company shopping with the girls was pretty crazy, especially Erza. The only dresses Mira would give her where ones that highlighted her...uh assets. Which made Levy jealous as she looked at the curvy blonde in all the dresses. Lucy was just thankful they weren't slutty dresses. She somehow seemed to find all the cute ones. Which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't make her try on EVERY dress and if that wasn't bad enough the shoes seemed to take twice as long. Lucy lost count of the number of stores they went to but if she had a penny for every item she tried on, Lucy figured she could retire for good. It was getting later and later and they still hadn't bought a dress. Finally, a girl that worked at the store they were currently in walked up to them holding a black dress. Lucy looked at the young girl, and took notice of her pink hair, immediately reminding her of Natsu.

"Um..m-miss. I-I think thi-this will fit you pretty well. S-sorry." said the girl who seemed to be rather shy, but Lucy couldn't help but notice her pretty purple eyes.

"Oh, thanks." Lucy said looking at the dress and taking it from her. She glanced at the girl's name tag. "Aries. Thanks Aries." the girl smiled at her and then left the girls.

"That dress perfect. Natsu won't know what hit him." Mira smiled brightly.

"You'll have him looking at you all night." Levy chimed in.

"Great." Lucy mumbled though the thought of Natsu looking only at her made her unbelievably happy.

"Is everything okay Lucy?" Erza asked with slight concern. "Natsu really hasn't done anything inappropriate has he?"

"No, it's nothing like that I promise." Lucy said quickly so that Natsu wasn't given a stern talking to. "Natsu's been...great it's just...I don't know. I don't really wanna talk about it."

"It's okay you don't to." Levy said putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you barely know us and everything."

"But if you ever do need to talk, you can come to us." Erza smiled at her. "You're part of the family now."

"Thanks girls." Lucy said feeling much better. "Well, let's go buy this dress."

"First we need to find shoes for the dress." Mira smiled.

"No, please no more shoes. Girls!" Lucy whined as they dragged her off.

Natsu picked up Lucy in front of her apartment friday night just before the party. The second she walked out she blew him away with her dress. He stood there stunned for a good few minutes, taking in the sight before him. The way her hair was done up, loose tresses framing her face, mixed with the light makeup she put on accentuated her beauty. The way her black dress clung to her curves, stopping at mid thigh, and the low neckline that showed off her cleavage was captivating. The white ruffled trim along with the white bow that sat in the center top of the dress, and white belt tied around her waist was a nice contrast to the sleek black. A small necklace with a pink heart hung from her neck and Natsu thought it was befitting of her. She truly was a goddess. Lucy blushed as he unashamedly checked her out, a slight smirk playing on her lips. She found that she liked that he had lost himself in her. After a bit she asked if they should get going and he was shaken from his daze. He blushed at the fact that he had become so enchanted by her.

Lucy admittedly had also had her breath taken away by Natsu's appearance. He wore black slacks with a white shirt, the top couple of buttons undone. She noticed he had gone without his scarf tonight so his neck was visible. A black dinner jacket completed the ensemble. Natsu looked very handsome indeed, and dare she say it, sexy. She was surprised to be honest about how nice he could clean up. It made her consider skipping the party and inviting him upstairs. No, she was still thinking on it. No rushing. But it was nice to know that he could be trusted to dress elegantly. He was very gentlemanly also, holding the car door open for her and closing it after she got in. She didn't think guys were like this still but Natsu seemed to be pulling out all the stops and it felt natural, not like he was forcing himself to do these things for her. She smiled sweetly at him as he got in the car and they proceeded to drive to Fairy Tail.

Finally, they had arrived and Lucy was surprised to find that for all intents and purposes it was a normal office party. She didn't know what to expect but the workers of Fairy Tail were a particular bunch. She knew that for a fact. Lucy had stuck by Natsu, since he was really the only person she knew well. Being with Natsu though meant meeting and talking to quite a bit of people, or business partners of Fairy Tail. She was introduced to the man Ichiya, who sent a very unpleasurable shiver up her spine and his three cohorts. All the seemed to talk about was women and to make them feel good and welcome, though she wasn't sure exactly what that meant nor did she want to know. They're nice yeah but definitely among the stranger people that she met. She almost felt bad at the way her skin crawled when Ichiya kissed her hand. She rushed Natsu away from them and he couldn't help but laugh. He didn't blame her at all. Next she had met Sting and Rogue, who thankfully seemed pretty normal.

"This is Lucy." Natsu said introducing her to the two men with a big smile.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you." Rogue said shaking her hand.

"You too. Oh is that…" Lucy began surprised to see a cat up on Rogue's shoulder.

"This is Frosch my date." Rogue said as if that explained everything. Lucy was dumbfounded and Natsu and Sting couldn't help but snicker.

"So you finally have a date to one of these things huh Natsu? It's about time." Sting teased him making Lucy blush hard. He then leaned in close to Natsu. "Good luck man."

"Shut up." Natsu said in annoyance but with a slight blush.

"And this is Yukino, my girlfriend." Sting said introducing her. "Not a cat as you can tell."

"Hey shut up man." Rogue defended and the others laughed.

Lucy giggled as she shook Yukino's hand. "Nice to meet you."

The party seemed to be in full swing and everyone was enjoying themselves. Lucy got to meet Jellal, Erza's husband and their child, who was just adorable. Levy introduced her boyfriend Gajeel, who was definitely not what she expected. He was nice yeah but he looked like a rough kind of guy with long black hair and dark eyes. The most noticeable thing was their difference in size. Levy was a small petite girl and Gajeel was a large, brawny man, but in a weird way they seemed to fit each other. She also got to see Gray and Juvia, who was practically draped around Gray, again. Juvia was actually nice, though Gray crazy as she was and Gray did a pretty good job of reigning her in at times, Lucy discovered. She also got to meet Makarov, who was also at the party despite being retired. They explained to Lucy that he occasionally showed up at the office to check and see how his 'children' were doing. He was a very pleasant, older man and Lucy found out quickly that they mostly had called him "gramps", or "master". Eventually, Lucy had gotten the quick scoop on what happened when Makarov stepped down and what led to Natsu taking over.

"Yo Gildarts! What's up old man?" Natsu smiled at catching sight of the older man who had just arrived.

"Not much kid. Hey look who I found hanging around outside." Gildarts said dragging Laxus inside.

"Laxus." Mira said and all eyes laid on him.

He tentatively walked into the office, ignoring the stares. Lucy looked around at the stunned faces and could hear soft murmuring. Makarov watched as his grandson walked toward him. Laxus looked around, everyone was still here and there were even some new faces. The family was growing and he couldn't help but allow a small smile. He didn't blame them if they hated him. Being back brought a feeling of nostalgia, and a feeling of home. He finally stopped in front of Makarov.

"Gramps." he said looking down at Makarov.

"Brat." Makarov said simply taking another drink of beer.

"Ever the rowdy bunch aren't they?" Laxus asked looking around.

"Do you understand now Laxus?' Makarov asked him. "I once told you that Fairy Tail wasn't just a corporation, that this building wasn't just an office. It was a place for friends and family."

"That it wasn't something that can just be owned." Laxus continued, looking back to Makarov, whose eyes began to widen. "Each person who's a part of Fairy Tail has to be trustworthy and loyal or the company would never survive. I failed on all counts." he said heavily, looking down to the ground. "I never meant to hurt the company. Honest. I...I just wanted to make it stronger. For you, grandpa."

"So...did you stop to smell the roses?" Makarov asked, his voice slightly breaking.

"I...did." Laxus, said with tears streaming down his face and falling on his knees. He thought back to the worst day of his life. The day he had been fired from the company. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"Welcome back my boy." Makarov smiled as tears rolled down his face. "But it's not my company anymore." Laxus looked up at him and then they turned to Natsu.

"Welcome Home Laxus." Natsu said grinning brightly, showing his toothy smile. "It's about time."

"Welcome home Laxus!" everyone cheered as they put their hands in the air.

Lucy looked around a warm feeling spread through her. Then she looked at Natsu with a bright smile on her face. She was beginning to see that this place, and it's people were truly amazing. Natsu was amazing. The more she spent time with him, and with his company the more she felt comfortable and at ease. The more she began to feel at home. As the night went on, Lucy felt more comfortable at the party and broke of from Natsu to talk to some of the girls. She had received many compliments on her dress throughout the whole evening. And she had received flashes of jealousy from Levy and Juvia, though for different reasons.

Later that evening some uninvited guests had arrived. They were from a company called Zentopia Corp. Dan Straight, the head of the company, walked in with three of his henchman, Mary Hughes, Coco, and the big haired blonde man, Sugarboy. He looked like he had walked out of a bad 70's movie. All eyes turned to them, hard stares reaching the intruders but they seemed like they could care less. They were from a dirty company and everyone knew it. Fairy Tail had found out the hard way by partnering with them a few years back. That was the first and last time they ever did that. Dan walked into the middle of the party and straight up to Natsu holding out his hand to shake it.

"What are you doing here?' Natsu growled at Dan, refusing to shake his hand and Dan just smirked.

"Is that anyway to treat an old friend Dragneel?"

"Old friend my ass." Gray said angrily. "You jerks screwed us over." he said, his shirt now suddenly gone.

The people closest to Natsu surrounded Dan's group. They looked at the Fairy Tail people with smirks, hoping that this would turn into something. After all they weren't above a little brawling. Meanwhile, Lucy was more toward the back with Levy and Lisanna and was unaware of the intruders. When it became clear there was some kind of commotion though she moved toward where she had last seen Natsu. Once she reached him she was about to ask him what was going on when she caught sight of Dan. Their eyes met and he smiled at her.

"Lulu! What a surprise to see you here!" he said opening up his arms as if he were going to hug her.

She took a back step in shock. This wasn't lost on Natsu but he was confused. Did she know him? And if so how did she know a scumbag like Dan? Natsu turned his attention back to Lucy and realized she had begun sweating, a look of panic on her face. Her eyes were wide with shock and she began to pale. Natsu moved to touch her but she was caught off guard and recoiled at the contact. Lucy turned to look at Natsu and was about to say something when she was cut off.

"Well, if it isn't the Heartfilia whore." Mary said with a wicked grin. "I thought you were out living on the streets after daddy's company went bankrupt. Did she tell you guys? Her poor old man kicked the bucket after it happened." she laughed at Lucy and Natsu sneered at her.

"Mmm yeah it was pretty bad. It was a rich company full of potential. Too bad his only daughter, Lucy, couldn't save it." Sugarboy added.

"Now now, guys, don't be hard on her. It must have been hard with all that pressure on her." He said mockingly. "I can see now though that you didn't quite your luxurious lifestyle. Trying to suck out money from Fairy Tail, huh?" he smirked at her. He was only a few feet away and Fairy Tail kept its guard up. "You're probably screwing Dragneel for it aren't you? Tell me Natsu, is she as good as she looks?" he asked Natsu but then turned back to Lucy and leaned in to whisper to her. "After all, with a body and cute face like that, that's all you'll ever be good at...being a slut."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat and her eyes stung as tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. Natsu looked at her and a rage he had never had built inside of him as he saw her begin to tremble. Dan laughed at her state. That was the last straw for Natsu. The whole time he had been eyeing Dan like prey and now he was ready to pounce. His hands clenched into fists as the tension rose in his body, his eyes following Dan's every movement ready to jump him. Natsu's breathing had gotten heavy and a low growl emanated from him. The rest of Fairy Tail glared at the Zentopia thugs as Mira and Erza move to protect Lucy from them.

"You bastard!" Natsu finally snapped, as he punched Dan hard in the face sending him to the floor.

Dan's trio got their guards up and were ready to fight. There was no mistake a full on fight was about to breakout between the two groups. But Makarov intervened, scolding them for starting a fight, and Natsu as well. He was supposed to be the head of a corporation not a street thug. Out of everyone he should show the most restraint. Dan laughed at the scolding and said that they didn't come to fight, just to do business. Makarov turned to Dan and his cronies and gave them a glare that would frighten the devil himself.

"You get your asses out of my building! If I ever hear of you stepping foot here again or anywhere near my kids you'll have to deal with me!" Dan and the others shrunk back at the declaration and nodded in understanding before rushing out.

"I'm sorry gramps I couldn't help it." Natsu relaxed some. "Hell would have to freeze over before I let someone insult Lucy and treat her like that. I can't stand to see someone I love treated that way."

"Still, you should never sink to their level my boy." Makarov sighed softly. "If you want revenge then do it business style. By crushing their crooked company!" Everyone cheered at the declaration and Natsu smiled. Makarov sat proudly and played with his mustache and in a voice only Natsu could hear said: "That was a nice punch though."

The two men smiled at each other and Natsu began to feel better. He needed to check on Lucy and just maybe the night could be salvaged. That's when the panic came. Lisanna announced that Lucy was missing. She couldn't find her anywhere. They began to call out for and soon started splitting up to search for her. Where could she have gone? Natsu's heart pounded in his chest, he needed to find her, to make sure she was okay. He wondered if she went home and so left to go check.

Natsu pounded in her door, calling out for her. He shouted for her but still nothing. He cursed under his breath and resolved to pay her back. After all better to beg to give was than ask permission right? He knew kicked in her door, breaking the lock. He had to see her. He called out her name as he searches through her apartment but still nothing. Natsu was beyond terrified now. Where was she? What happened to her? Was she okay?It was driving him insane. Natsu continued to drive around the area between her apartment and the office building but he didn't find any trace of her. He got on the phone and told Gray to send out a patrol for her. Gray tried calming Natsu down and told him that they were all out looking for her.

"You've been at it for hours man. Go home get some rest and calm down some. We won't stop looking for her." Gray told him.

"No way! I'm not resting until I know she's okay!" Natsu yelled. "It's Lucy, Gray! I have to make sure she's okay!"

"Natsu! Enough! Go home and rest." Erza said over the phone. "You're of no use to us like this. You're of no use to Lucy. Go and calm down. I'll call you the minute we know something." She knew this was the wisest course. She figured he thought Dan and the others had kidnapped her and the last thing they needed was him storming their offices.

"Dammit!" Natsu yelled through the phone. "Fine, I'm going home but you call me the _second_ you hear something."

"I will. Promise."

Before he knew it he was standing in front of his door. He grabbed a hold of the door handle as he fished out his keys. He put them in the lock and turned but nothing happened. Maybe Erza was right. He wasn't in his right mind. He turned the keys again and this time the door opened, finding himself in his dark apartment. The door was weird, it felt like maybe it hadn't been locked. The nerves and stress were really working him over. He sighed heavily as he walked into his apartment and locked the door behind him. Not bothering to turn in a light, he walked thought the apartment until he got to his room, ready to crash on his bed. Natsu walked in and his eyes widened.

"L-Lucy?" His voice cracked.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Well guys here it is, chapter 8. thanks for the comments as always. I'm glad you guys are still loving it and were mad at the cliffhanger ending haha. well you didn't have to wait to long for the next chapter. Hope you enjoy this as much as I had fun writing it. As always please continue to comment/review as it is a huge encouragement and lets us know that you did like it and how much you liked it. also this is not the last chapter. after this will be an epilogue that will end the story so you have that to look forward to. thanks for all the support so far!**

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Lucy's eyes widened in horror. It couldn't be...why was he...what was he doing here? Why was Dan here? A flash of memories played ran through her head. She could see his kind smile slowly morphing into a wicked one. She didn't even hear what Dan had last said to her. When she saw him approach her, her mind, her body, everything stopped functioning. It was like she was stuck in a dream, no a nightmare. She saw him lean toward her saying...something and then the next time she blinked Dan was on the floor holding his face. She took a step back and she saw Erza and Mira get in front of her as if to shield her. She then felt Lisanna...or was it Levy...trying to wake her up from her daze. Lucy didn't know what happened next, all she knew was that she found herself outside, running from the building. Lucy figured she had snuck out during the commotion. She managed to take off her high heels, which were not conducive to running, and tossed them away. She'd have to apologize to the girls for that later. She kept running, faster and harder.

After running for what seemed like forever she finally found herself in front of a familiar door. She was hunched over, hands on her knees and breathing heavily.

She took out her key and went to unlock her door but the key wouldn't go in. The key wasn't working. With shaky hands Lucy tried again but she was denied entrance. She slowly looked up at the door. 310. That was Natsu's apartment number. Tears began to streak down her face as she dropped to her knees. Why? Why Natsu's place? How did she end up here?

Deciding that she didn't have the strength to run and the fact that her feet were hurting from being barefoot she knew she'd never make it home. She grabbed his key and stood up to unlock his door. The door swung open revealing his dark apartment. She walked in and closed the door behind her. As she walked in she was greeted by Happy who came up to her and rubbed up against her leg. She leaned down and scooped him up in her arms. Lucy walked with Happy over to Natsu's room and sat on his bed, crying while still holding Happy. He seemed like he sensed her sadness and meowed softly as if to ask her what was wrong.

When Natsu had found her he had been so relieved. Despite her messy hair, running makeup and her bare dirty feet, she seemed to be physically okay and that filled Natsu with a kind of relief he had never felt. She was sitting back on his bed with a sheet draped over her back, she held her knees up to her chest. He saw traces of tears and watched painfully as more cascaded down her cheeks. Happy was next to her on the bed looking sad. He took a cautious step forward.

"Lucy…" he called to her again softly.

She heard his voice and looked up at him with a pained expression. Natsu grit his teeth and clenched his fists. Dan would have to pray he never ran across Natsu again. If he did, Natsu was going to kill him. He forced his mind to clear of thoughts of Dan and revenge and soon relaxed a bit. He walked slowly toward Lucy never breaking eye contact. She saw a soft look in his eyes and a pained expression. He leaned on the bed and stretched out a hand to push a few locks of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry Lucy." he whispered.

Lucy broke down crying again and Natsu began to panic. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to make it better. He wanted nothing more than to take all of her pain and suffering away from her. He ached to make her feel better and free her of her sorrow. He was ripped from his thoughts as Lucy practically jumped into his arms hugging him tightly and crying hard into his chest. Natsu wrapped his arms around her protectively and hugged her tightly letting her know that he was there and he was never letting go. He began to rub circles into her back to try and soothe her. Happy moved next to them and meowed sadly looking at the two of them.

After a bit, Natsu shifted them so he was laying back against the pillows and headboard, making sure that he never let go of Lucy. She shifted with him and lay with half of her body over him. Her head rested against his chest and he continued slowly massaging her. After a while, Lucy began to calm down even more. He softly brushed his hands through her hair and wiped her tears away. He looked at her and held her and comforted her. Lucy had closed her eyes and begun to listen to the sound of Natsu's heartbeat, a sound that helped to soothe her. She gently shifted again, opening her eyes, and moved her left leg over his and she began to trace circles with her fingers over the arms that held her, that protected her, that comforted her. She slowly looked up at him and met the onyx eyes that had been watching her all night. He smiled at her and he slowly leaned down and kissed her forward. Lucy allowed a small smile to form and she began to feel a warmness spread through her at feeling his lips against her forehead. That small gesture and him being here the way he was told her everything else she needed to know about him.

Eventually, Lucy began to tell him about her past. She told him everything and he was glad that she was sharing herself with him. He found out about how she was raised in rich family, how her mother died when she was still young and when that happened her father had changed. He had become cold and ignored her through the years. She told him that her father was the head of the family company, Heartfilia Inc, a big railway company that had influence across the country. When she was old enough to work she had joined the company in hope of getting closer to her father. She didn't like how they had grown apart and wanted to try and have a relationship with him. A few years back her father had forced her to engaged to Dan. It wasn't a decision she was thrilled with and she fought it but at the same time it had given her some kind of hope. She would have someone in her life, someone to love and who loved her back, someone who would care for her. Natsu grit his teeth and held back his anger at hearing that Dan had been her fiance. It was then that her family's company went bankrupt and Dan tossed her aside like a dirty rag now that she had no money. And it was shortly after that that her father had died.

At hearing all of this Natsu suddenly realized why her last name sounded familiar. A few years back, he had seen a report about the Heartfilia railways being shut down. It had made quite a stir in the corporate world but another independent company had taken it's place. Because Fairy Tail had been partnered with Heartfilia Inc, however, they had lost quite a bit. This happened at the same time as Laxus and his rebellion, so Laxus had used this occurrence to his advantage. Fortunately, Natsu had found a way to minimize the damage, his attention solely focused on saving Fairy Tail.

Lucy continued on, telling Natsu how since she was her father's secretary she had access to important documents allowing her to investigate into what happened. The bankruptcy hadn't made any sense, knowing inside things like she did, she knew they were far from bankruptcy. Through her investigation, she discovered that and his corporation, Zentopia, was mixed in deep with the black market and had many shady connections. They had pulled on some strings and tricked her father. They wanted to destroy her family's company. She hated herself for never realizing it. She was angry and hurt, she wanted revenge. She clutched at Natsu's chest as she told him this, the old feelings returning. He held her tighter and pulled her closer against him. He found out that instead of getting her revenge she decided to quit. Her mother had always told her that revenge only begot more revenge. Before she had died one of the many lessons Layla taught her daughter was to forgive and never be bound by the chains of hatred. Sure Lucy was bitter about everything that happened and she rode the line between getting her revenge or not . she was lost.

During what Lucy had referred to as her 'dark days', one of her old servants found her and brought a letter from her father. It had turned out to be his will. Upon reading it she found out he had discovered Dan's scheme but it was already too late. He was sorry for having also dragged her into this mess. He also explained why he had distanced himself from her, though he knew it was wrong and she deserved better. She had looked so much like her mother that it pained him to see her, to be around her. He regretted it and was sorry that he treated her that way. He went on to tell her that because of the company's impending doom he had turned to an old friend for help and that when the time came they would help her. She never knew who it was though. However, the letter had convinced her to move on and to live for herself, not for revenge. So she moved to Magnolia , rented an apartment with what money she had saved and started looking for work which is how she got the job from Erza. Even though she had lived a luxurious lifestyle she had always liked doing housework and had the servants teach her how to clean and stuff since she was always alone. Natsu chuckled at that and called her weird, making Lucy playfully hit him. She puffed out her cheeks, pouting, but she felt much better. He smiled brightly at her and hugged her to his chest.

Natsu suddenly remembered that Gray and the others were looking for her too. He fished his phone out of his pockets and sent Gray and Erza a quick text letting them know that Lucy was with him and that she was okay. He set the phone on the nightstand next to the bed. When he turned back to Lucy who had fallen asleep in his arms. He gently shifted them a bit so it was more comfortable on the bed for them and he fell asleep along with her. Happy who had left earlier came back in and jumped up on the bed, cuddling up with them.

The next morning Natsu, woke up with Lucy in his arms. He had the best night of sleep ever. He smiled as he looked at her and felt the warmth of her body next to him. After a bit she began to stir, slowly waking up. She slowly blinked her eyes open and was greeted with Natsu's smile. She suddenly remembered everything from the night before and realized that she must have fallen asleep in the warmth of his arms. Becoming aware of the fact that her and Natsu had slept together, her cheeks began to turn red and she shyly turned her gaze from him. Natsu chuckled softly, finding it cute. He leaned closer and gently kissed her cheek near her mouth and Lucy welcome it happily. He kissed her forehead too before pulling away from her. Lucy immediately missed the feel of his arms wrapped around her and the feel of his body next to hers.

"Alright Happy, you're job is to take care of Lucy while I'm gone." he said getting up and looking at Happy who meowed in response.

Lucy chuckled at the relationship Happy and Natsu seemed to share. Happy trotted over to Lucy and rubbed up against her, as she pet him. Natsu smiled down at them. He grabbed his cell phone and walked out of the room. He got on the phone calling up various people from Fairy Tail announcing a war against Zentopia. He even called up Makarov for any help or advice that he could give him. When he was done he quickly grabbed something to eat from the kitchen and headed to his bedroom to find it empty. Panicking he called out for Lucy, who as it turned out was just in his bathroom. He breathed a sigh of relief and went to grab some fresh clothes. He emerged from the room as Lucy exited the bathroom and he offered her a smile. She saw that he was dressed in his dragon print shirt, a pair of baggy shorts and had sandals on his feet.

"Are you leaving?" she asked a bit sadly.

"Not for too long. Something I need to take care of." he said softly as he walked up to her. "You should stay here and just rest. You can use the shower and there's food here, help yourself to whatever you want."  
"A-Are you sure?" she asked confused by what was happening.

"Yeah, just think of this place as home okay. Do whatever you want, just stay. Please?" he asked her with pleading eyes.

"Okay Natsu. Thank you." she said smiling at him.

"Of course." he smiled back and then left.

A shower sounded great. Her feet were dirty, her makeup, or what was left of it, looked hideous. She watched him leave and then looked over to the bed where she saw a set of fresh clothes. She smiled softly realizing that he had probably pulled those out for her. She grabbed the clothes and a towel and went to the bathroom to take a much needed shower. Why not make it a long, relaxing shower? If she was going to be here all day she might as well relax like he had said. Meanwhile, Natsu had gone to work. He hurriedly walked into the Fairy Tail building and upon entering the office was met by the main members who were waiting for him. He looked around at Erza, Gray, Gajeel, Levy, Jellal, Juvia, Freed, Lisanna, Mira and Gildarts were all here. Makarov was also there with Laxus.

"Seems like everyone is ready for the party." he smirked as he headed for his office.

Erza and Mira handed him some documents that he had asked for and he started to look over them as he sat on the edge of his desk. Gray, Juvia, and Jellal also handed him so reports that they had found and been asked to gather. The others waited for directions as Natsu looked over the files and documents. He had called them all for their newest mission, which he dubbed Operation: Down with Zentopia. He continued to look over the recent actions of Zentopia and past things they had done sinces its founding. One would think it was amazing how fast they had gotten such sensitive information but it was Fairy Tail. They were the most powerful corporation in Fiore.

Soon, he handed off the papers and reports to the others so they could confirm his findings. Natsu smirked as he continued reading. It seemed that originally the corporation had been legit but after the death of the founder it all went downhill. Lapointe as the next in line took over and the company got involved in the black market and other illegal things. It was just as Lucy had said. This was a start but it wasn't enough. They needed more evidence. Natsu was going to dig out all of their dirty secrets and expose them for what they were. He'd see them off to jail, away from his princess. That's why he had Lisanna, Freed, Laxus and Gildarts. Among the members of Fairy Tail they were the best at corporate espionage. Not that they were dirty or did those kinds of things but if need be they could do it. Natsu deemed this as a need. Laxus and Gildarts would be his infiltrators while Lisanna and Freed collected the needed data. Meanwhile Gajeel and Levy would distract them, working on a way to bait them into doing another crooked business deal.

"Take them down." Natsu said upon finishing their meeting. "Dismissed."

"Natsu." Makarov said staying behind and waiting for the door to close. "Years ago I had made promised an old friend something. I promised him that I would take in his daughter and protect her from the repercussions of his failure." Natsu listened intently, his head swimming. He had heard this before. "I said I'd take her under my wings and treat her like family. But with everything was going on with Laxus…" Makarov sighed. "It must've been fate for that girl to wind up at our doorstep. Finish the promise I had made. Take down Zentopia." _And it'll be done Jude. They'll pay._ He thought to himself with a smile as he left Natsu.

Natsu stood there, wide eyed by the information. It had been Lucy. Makarov was talking about Lucy which meant that the person Jude had referred to in his letter was Makarov. An amazing coincidence that Lucy would come here, that she would be the one to become his housekeeper. Without knowing it she had in a small way fulfilled part of her father's wishes for her. He smiled to himself and promised to get her justice. He didn't mind dirtying his hands if it was for her.

It had been a week since the office party, since the incident. A week since Lucy had found herself in front of the apartment that she had cleaned. A week since Natsu had found her in his dark apartment, on his bed, crying. Lucy sat on his sofa, petting Happy as she thought about these things. What was she doing? Why was she still here? In that week she had not once left his apartment. After two days at Natsu's she had been able to calm down and act like her normal self, enjoying fully the company of Natsu and Happy. She had just felt at home in weird way, safe, and so especially after what had happened it left her with little desire to leave her safe haven. Natsu had told her to stay every day and she didn't know why but she just agreed and she liked it. She smiled softly and looked at Happy on her lap as she continued stroking his fur. Suddenly, the door swung open loudly making Lucy jump up with a squeak and Happy jumped from her lap startled.

"Natsu you startled me!" Lucy pouted.

"Ah, sorry." he said as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Had a pretty good day and I couldn't wait to get home."

"Well, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, but you're fine." he said brushing her complaint off.

"Lucky you! If I died you'd be lost." She said as if it were fact.

"Oh really?"

"Really, no other girl would put up with your mess or clean as good as I do."

Natsu's grin disappeared as his eyes truly fell on her and he took in the sight of her attire. Again, she had been wearing his clothes. Really there was nothing else for her to wear since she hadn't left but he didn't mind that at all. If he had his way he'd have her naked, though she did make his clothes look pretty good. He felt a sort of possessiveness and another rising need. Today she had worn one of his button down shirts, only buttoning the few buttons in the middle, and wore nothing else. Well, no shorts or pants anyway. It wasn't that big of a deal since the shirt came down to about mid-thigh on her. Lucy realized that he was looking at her in a lustful and realized what she was wearing. She became very aware of how she had buttoned the shirt, leaving the top unbuttoned enough to cover her but it showed off her cleavage rather well, and the bottom of the shirt was left unbuttoned giving him a little glimpse of her underwear. Why did she have to look good in everything?

"Hey, quit staring!" she said making a show of using her arms to shield herself from his eyes though it was clear that she wasn't really trying. In all honesty she had forgotten how she was dressed. She was home alone earlier and didn't think anything of just wearing the shirt.

"I didn't dress you up like that. That's on you." he smirked as he looked down at her soft, smooth legs.

"Sh-shut up! Quit looking." She said with no real resolve.

"That's impossible besides I don't mind."

"Yeah I'm sure you don't." she pouted though the fact that he was looking at her with lust was pleasing and giving rise to confidence once again. "As if you could even handle me. Probably wouldn't even know what to do with a girl like me." she smirked at him.

"Wha-please. If anything you couldn't handle me." He smirked moving closer to her and making her blush.

"Y-you probably would freak out at first touch." she retorted. "You'd crack under the pressure."

"I never crack under pressure. I'll show you." he said standing right in front of her and he knew he needed to reign himself in.

"Oh yeah? I think you're all talk. You couldn't even bring a girl to a nice, clean apartment if it weren't for me." she smiled. "You couldn't even show the girl a nice cooked meal. You're nothing mister."

"Oh yeah? I'll show you nothing." he smirked and against instinct, trying to keep himself controlled, he reached out and pressed his fingers into her side.

"No! Stop!" Lucy pleaded through laughs as he began to tickle her.

She tried to swat his hands away but to no avail. He brought his other hand to her other side and continued tickling her. She tried to back away but he only followed. She swung at him but he would duck. She began to lose her balance and turned to try to run but he was at her heals and kept managing to tickle her in various places, trying to find where she was most ticklish. He smiled as he heard her laughs and screams to stop, telling her that he would never. Through the tickling he had started to run his hands over her every so often, something she was keenly aware of and wished that he would just full on touch her already. Anywhere, everywhere, and she blushed at the thought.

She ran up against the wall and he pinned her to it, managing to still tickle her. His hand dipped low and ran under the shirt along her thigh. His other hand then running over her stomach, wishing it was her skin he felt. This was getting too dangerous. He still wasn't completely sure where they stood and he didn't want to make her do anything. He didn't want her to do anything for the sake of doing it either. Breathing, heavily he rested his forehead on her shoulder. He turned his head into her neck and she felt a shiver run through her as she felt his breath hit her skin. Her chest rose and fell as she fought to catch her breath as well. His left hand pinned her right wrist to the wall near her head and his right just grabbed her other wrist at her side.

"Don't move or I'll attack." he said huskily.

Lucy swallowed hard. She loved that voice. Her heart raced, her face flushed, feeling both nervous and excited. She had always been afraid of getting hurt again, of opening up her feelings to someone. She couldn't let it happen again but...he wasn't Dan. This was Natsu. The man who viewed her as an equal. The man who she knew cared about her, who looked at her like no one ever had, who had, most recently, taken care of her. He'd been there for her and he'd respected her. She had never felt something like this before. She continued to think about the past few months. She thought of the meals they shared, the conversations they had, the times they spent hanging out and playing games. She smiled softly at remembering how childish he was, how carefree he was. She thought of how he cheered her up and made her happy just by being there, his smile, his smell, his arms wrapped around her, his lips... _Oh, screw it._ She said to herself. She shifted slightly alerting Natsu of her movement, though he was still trying to calm down.

"It's okay." she whispered softly as she turned to look at him. He frowned and lifted his eyes to look into hers and they told him so many things. The lust, the love, the caring that he saw in them. She saw his confused expression and looked at him seductively. "Stop messing around and do it already. I'm all yours Natsu."

His eyes widened and his mouth parted to say something but nothing came out. He stood there frozen, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. She had given him permission. She chuckled softly at him. Yeah she wouldn't mind having him for the rest of her life. She moved her hands to cup his face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. A few seconds passed before he responded, deepening the kiss. The kiss heated as he ran his hands along her side, the shirt lifting some.

"I'll make sure you won't regret this princess." he said between kisses as he slid his hands down to her bottom , gripping it so that he could lift her up.

"Princess?" she gasped as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "And what does that make you? A prince?" she asked as he began to walk them toward his bedroom, her hands sliding through his hair.

"No." he said smirking as he reached up with one hand and yanked on the front of the shirt just right, the buttons popping. "A dragon." he said with a low growl that sent pleasurable shivers through her.

Lucy felt herself getting more aroused and she let go of his head and slipped off the shirt letting it fall to the ground. She blushed softly but felt proud that he looked at her even more lustfully than before. He laid her gently on the bed as her hands clawed and pulled at his shirt. She finally got it off of him and threw it across the room to be forgotten. He leaned down and hungrily captured her lips with his, their tongues sliding against each other. They slid their hands over each other's bodies as they passionately kissed. Natsu enjoyed the feel of her soft skin beneath his hands as they roamed over her stomach, her thighs and other parts of her body. Lucy felt little pricks of fire everywhere he touched her and she moaned into their kiss as his hand made their way to her breasts. He was driving her crazy, never had she felt this way, never had she wanted anything so badly and the same was true for him.

Her hands slid down between them and she began to undo his belt and before he knew it his pants ended up somewhere on the floor. Their hands went back to exploring each other, touching every inch of each other as their arousals built. Natsu enjoyed every sound she made, the whimpers and the moans and the gasps. He enjoyed the feel of her nails digging into his flesh as he kissed roughly from her neck to down her body. Lucy quickly found out she liked the feel of his tongue on her skin and the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips. What had started as soft and loving turned into rough and hot, the passion increasing between them as they explored each other. The love ever increasing as they reveled in the pleasure they were giving each other. This wasn't just sex. No, it was so much more than that. They could feel their love for each other expressed in ways words alone failed to. They felt it in every passionate kiss, every breath, every caress. Their love was expressed in every touch and sound that they made. Again and again they showed each other just how much they loved each other and in ways no one else ever could. Natsu was right. She didn't regret it, not a thing, one bit. He made sure of that.


	9. Epilogue

**AN: Well, here it is the final chapter. The epilogue. Thanks so much guys for reading and following and commenting and reviewing we super appreciate it. We hope you continue to like the fics we collaborate on and post here in the future also. As always let us know what you think of the end and how you liked it. Again a big thank you and we hope you find this a satisfying conclusion to The Housekeeper.**

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Lucy yawned as she sat up in bed, the sheet pooling around her waist. She looked over and saw that is was ten o'clock as she stretched before getting out of bed. She sighed softly, knowing Natsu was at work, as she went and grabbed a towel. Lucy walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror and slightly frowned as she looked at some of the hickeys and love marks that adorned her body. He liked her breasts, not that she minded. Really, he liked everything. Natsu was insatiable. A smile began to form as she shook her head softly, thinking about her lovable boyfriend. She took her shower and then dried off, wrapping her body in the towel. She couldn't help but smile as she walked through the apartment. Nearing the kitchen, she bent down to pet Happy who had trotted around the corner to greet her. She walked into the kitchen and squeaked in surprise at seeing Natsu sitting at the table with some coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Morning." he smiled at her as she walked in, his look turning lustful. Lucy had grown accustomed to that look but she didn't mind it. In fact she rather liked when he looked at her that way because she knew it said so much more than just 'I want you'.

"Natsu? What are you doing here? I thought you were at work!" she said a bit angrily.

She didn't want him to miss anymore work since he had already made it a bit of a habit. He had skipped out on work a few times due their passionate late nights. They would either pick up their nightly activities the next morning or sometimes she would, to her embarrassment though pleasurable as it was, be too sore to move the next morning. He too at times had been too tired to move a muscle a fact she was rather proud of.

"Don't worry about it Luce." he said brushing off her concern. "I took the day off. Everything is fine."

"Right." she said suspiciously and Natsu played at being hurt, shedding a small tear.

Lucy just shook her head and walked further into the kitchen to make herself something to eat. It had been a little over a month since she had officially moved in with her lovable idiot. Not long after deciding to actually fully move in with him she finally returned back to her apartment for her things and to square things with the landlord. He had wanted to be with her but work had prevented him much to his dismay. She wasn't alone though. When she went to take care of her apartment, Erza, Levy and Mira went with her. Though at times it felt like they were her bodyguards which was rather strange but she was glad to have them. The girls had dubbed moving in with Natsu as a reason to buy new things and so took her shopping. Well, it was more like they forced her to shop. It was a pain but it was nice that she had real friends now. Lucy smiled as she thought back to that day and a particular conversation.

"Now that we know what kind of lingerie Lucy likes we should get new stuff so you can show off to Natsu." MIra smiled happily at Lucy from across the table.

"Wh-what?" Lucy asked surprised by the directness and looking around hoping no one else in the food court had heard that.

"Something cute and sexy that'll blow his socks off." Levy chimed in.

"Something lacy since it seems Lucy likes that." Mira smirked as Lucy's face flushed.

"A splendid idea. Men do like their girls in lingerie." Erza nodded approvingly. "Though really they like them anyway." she said under her breath with a smile.

"Uh, anyway say Erza there's something I've wanted to ask." Lucy said trying to change the subject from her lingerie but simultaneously actually having something to ask her.

"Oh?"

"Did you know?" she asked looking at her. "Did you know that Natsu and I...that we would…"

"Become a couple?" Erza finished. "No, I didn't."

"I did! I knew the second I saw you." MIra smiled.

"Honestly, I was really just looking for someone to clean his apartment. I mean you saw it." Erza said. "I didn't care if it was old lady covered in warts as long as she was right for the job. I met quite a few interesting characters but you were the best choice and like I could trust you." she said with a smile. "Though when you walked in I had realized you were right up Natsu's ally. I'm sure you saw his magazines. He never was good at hiding those."

"Y-yeah." Lucy said with a mad blush remembering the lewd magazines that featured busty blondes that she had found in his bedroom. "That was kind of weird."

"You seemed strong and kind so I figured you'd either reject him and stand your ground or something might happen"' Erza continued. "I know how Natsu can be but he's also a gentleman and knows how to treat a woman when it comes down to it. And I know, even if he didn't, that he was lonely and could've used someone in his life. He's not a bad man and any girl would be lucky to have him and if you had turned out to be that girl...Well, I know we had only just met but I felt like maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing."

"Th-thanks." Lucy blushed and returned to her food. "I really...I really do love him."

"Of course you do. And he loves you." Mira said.

"Yeah, he wouldn't stop talking about you. He was head over heels from the second he met you." Levy laughed and Lucy blushed.

"Oh, you two are so cute together. You'll have a great story for your kids." Mira squealed and Lucy's blush deepened.

Lucy shook her head slightly at the memory. Kids. Not right now but maybe one day...it might not be so bad to have a family with Natsu. She focused on her task of breakfast and continued with the preparations. She did her best to ignore Natsu who had just been staring at her. She was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking. Nowadays it was ever only two things it seemed. Food and sex, and given that it was the morning it could've been either one. He continued to eye her as she moved about making breakfast, wearing just the towel. She might as well been naked and in Natsu's eyes she already was. Oh how he wanted to rip off the table and set her up on the counter and make her moan. Or take her and bend her over the table and have his way with her, making yell out his name. That was one thing he had learned very fast. Lucy was loud and oh how he liked that. He loved hearing all the sounds she made, his name on her lips laced in a moan. He wanted to hear her now he wanted to feel her and make love to her.

Natsu got up from his spot and walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He began to kiss her shoulder as his hands slid down her sides finding the end of the towel. He slid his hands under the towel and up her thighs as he kissed across her shoulder and lightly sucked on the nape of her neck, a weak point of her. Lucy whimpered and allowed a soft moan.

"Oh, no." she said pulling back and stopping him while she could. She couldn't let him continue or she was going to end up pushing down him onto the table and getting on top of him. "Out!" she said turning around and pushing him back and out of the kitchen. "No distractions. I don't want burnt waffled like the other day."

"Alright, alright." Natsu said as she gave him one last shove back.

He pouted as he left her to breakfast and sat on the couch to wait. He hated getting riled up like that and being denied. Thankfully it wasn't that often of an occurrence. As he slouched on the couch he looked over and was greeted by a plushie. An old one. Lucy must've brought it when she moved in. he hadn't really noticed before since he was so excited about her moving in. He looked at the plushie, a white snowman with an orange carrot-like nose, a bit more closely. He picked it up inspecting it.

"Hey Lucy." he called for her.

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get this?" he asked walking up to the kitchen with the plushie in his hands.

She turned around and smiled at seeing the plushie. "It's an old story." she giggled with a feel of nostalgia. "Honestly, I don't really remember but I've had him for as long as I can remember. Whenever I was feeling sad or down Plue, the plushie, always cheered me up. I feel bad cuz I had forgotten about him when everything at the party with Dan happened. Maybe it was cuz you came to my mind first." she said a bit embarrassed and blushing at the statement.

"Hm." Natsu said hearing her but he was lost in his thoughts.

 _A seven year old boy cursed to himself as the prize dropped into the box. He had spent so many coins at the damn claw machine and he still couldn't get what he wanted. Of everything he could get he got the stupid messed up snowman. He was going for the red dragon how did he end up with this plushie? Whatever. He sighed heavily as he pulled it out of the slot and began to make his way to his friends. On his way to meet up with them he could hear a girl crying. He looked around until he finally found the source and he walked over to her. It was a young girl, probably about his age who was wiping the never ending tears away. She was down on her knees sobbing._

" _What's wrong?" he asked as he hesitantly walked up to her._

 _Her sobs began to quiet down and she looked at him with tear filled brown eyes.. A blush began to form on his face for a few seconds. He thought she looked kinda cute. He smiled nervously at her as she continued to calm down._

" _I lost my special doll Gonzalez." she finally said wiping at her eyes._

" _Uh...Gonzo-Gonzalvez?"_ _Natsu said thrown off by the name. "That's a weird name."_

" _No,_ _it's Gonzales! And_ _it's not!" she said angrily and then pouted. "It's a pretty name." she sniffed and tears began to well up again at the thought of her lost friend making Natsu panic. He hated seeing girls cry._

" _Hey, don't cry it's just a doll. You can get another one." he said as he continued trying to calm her down but nothing worked._

" _No...it was a gift from mommy." she cried. "She gave it to me before she…"_

 _Natsu had opened his mouth to say something but upon hearing that closed it. He knew what was behind those words better than most. He knew the look that her face had taken on. After all he'd seen it on himself after his father had died. So he knew the pain at least. If he had lost his scarf that his father had given him...Well, he'd probably react in the same way that she was. He looked around and saw the odd plushie he had won still on the ground. He had dropped it when spotting the girl. He walked over and picked it up, dusting it off as he walked back to the girl. She looked up at him with a questioning look as he held it out to her._

" _Here." he said with a small blush on his cheeks. "Take it. It's yours." he gave her his signature toothy smile. "I know it won't replace your doll but if you want...you can have it."_

" _You...You're giving it to me?" she asked with a blush as she eyed the doll._

" _That's what I said. Take it already." he said getting a bit impatient._

 _She pouted and grabbed it out of his hands. She held it out in front of her and looked at it. A bright smile formed on her face and Natsu blushed harder. She looked beautiful with a smile._

" _Plue." she smiled at the doll and then turned toward Natsu. "His name is Plue." Natsu snapped out of his daze._

" _That's a weird name." he said and she giggled as she stood up._

" _Thank you." she said, her smile getting wider._

" _Your welcome." he said in a low voice, blushing again as he scratched the back of his head._

Natsu snuck up behind Lucy, still holding Plue and he snaked his hands around her waist. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder making her squeak in surprise. She turned her head a bit to look at him as she giggled, the sound music to his ears. He exhaled softly and closed his eyes.

"Thank you." he whispered and then opened his eyes.

"Uh...you're welcome?" she said slightly confused as he let go of her and walked back to the living room. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Natsu sat Plue back down on his spot on the couch with a smile. Even if she had forgotten, he would always treasure the memory. He would never forget about the sad blonde girl that he had given a white plushie to. It was why he was always looking at blonde haired girls. All because of one he found by chance, crying. It had changed his life. Yeah he thought she was cute in the innocent way that kids did, understanding things like pretty and beauty. But it stayed with him and continued to grow and as he got older and puberty hit and the teen years came he found girls a lot more than just pretty. He found them sexually attractive too, specifically blonde girls. Natsu smiled softly thinking back to something Gray had told him.

"I think I finally know why you're so crazy about Lucy." Gray said one afternoon. "I remember back in high school when we started looking at those dirty magazines you were always looking at the blonde girls with big boobs. So it stands to reason that Lucy is just your type."

"That has nothing to do with it." Natsu grimaced. "The reason I like blondes so much is cuz…" No, it happened so long ago and it was too embarrassing to tell Gray or anybody about it. He'd never hear the end of it. It wasn't why he liked Lucy so much either...well, maybe a little bit but he liked Lucy so much because...it was Lucy. No other blonde girl could come close to her.

"Thanks for taking care of her all this time buddy." Natsu said smiling at Plue.

Natsu crouched down and looked at the plushie. He was old and worn. It seemed as though Lucy had refused to get rid of him so she patched him up and fixed him in anyway she could. This resulted in him having small patch jobs that contrasted with his white color. Natsu was glad that she treasured him so. _Huh, might be a nice spot to hide a ring._ He thought to himself as he inspected one of the loose patches of cloth that was sewn onto Plue. He thought of a diamond engagement ring he had seen that was so befitting of Lucy. He could already picture it on her finger. And now he had found a hiding spot.

He patted Plue on the head before standing up and walking back into the kitchen. Maybe one day he would remind Lucy about the real first time they had met. Plue watched as Natsu joined Lucy in the kitchen so they could have breakfast together. Yes, old and worn and slightly dirty but there he sat with a bright smile on his face. Happy jumped up on the couch and layed down, cuddling up with him with a small meow.

The apartment was neither the mess Lucy had first seen when beginning her job, that she no longer had, and it wasn't the pristine like she would leave it after cleaning. It was a home, a home lived in by two people madly in love and who had started their lives together. The emptiness and loneliness that Natsu never returned to since Lucy had moved in and in fact the apartment felt like an altogether new place. The small changes Lucy had made to the apartment, truly making it theirs, were welcome. It made it clear that Lucy lived there and Natsu quickly found that he liked that. He liked that everywhere he looked in their apartment there were signs that Lucy was there, with him. A small breeze blew in through the window making the cream colored curtains gently flutter. The pages of the newspaper Natsu had left on the coffee table fluttered and turned finally stopping at an article where the headlines could be read: **_Breaking News: Zentopia Corporation Brought Up On Charges For Illegal Dealings_**

" **The End"**


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